Haj quota lapse fiasco can only be solved through PM, MBS: officials

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly and the Senate Standing Committees on Religious Affairs held separate emergency meetings on Wednesday amid uncertainty over the fate of the remaining 67,000 applicants, who are left with dwindling hopes of performing Haj this year.

Officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Director General (DG) of Haj informed the committees that the issue could now only be resolved at the level of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS).

Adding to the applicants’ woes, the officials revealed that private Haj operators—who had collected advance payments from pilgrims and forwarded them to Saudi Arabia—would not be able to secure a full refund of the unutilised amount.

Federal Secretary for Religious Affairs Dr Ataur Rehman stated that advance payments sent to the Saudi government through the DG Haj would be refunded. However, he could not confirm the status of funds transferred privately or through informal channels (Hundi) for booking accommodations and transport.

DG Haj Abdul Wahab Soomro, who joined the National Assembly standing committee meeting online from Saudi Arabia, clarified that payments sent to the Saudi government’s account would be refunded after a 15 percent deduction, contingent upon a formal request from the Pakistani government.

However, he distanced the government from any responsibility for advance payments sent outside official channels for private bookings. “The amount received in the digital wallet will be refunded, but we cannot account for funds sent privately or through unofficial means,” he said.

Soomro confirmed that payments still held in the Pakistani government’s account would be refunded in full, disclosing that 1.1 billion riyals had been collected from Haj operators so far.

During the meeting, private tour operators accused the DG Haj of initially transferring 50 million riyals to the wrong Saudi account, causing a 28-day delay in redirecting the funds. They also blamed the Religious Affairs Ministry’s Haj wing for creating hurdles that prevented them from meeting deadlines.

Muhammad Bilal, a representative of the Haj Organisers Association of Pakistan (HOAP), claimed that while operators had processed payments for 77,000 pilgrims by February 14, the ministry prioritised the government Haj scheme first. He insisted that Pakistan could still secure the remaining quota if serious efforts were made.

Federal Secretary Dr Ataur Rehman requested that any inquiry into the lapse of 67,000 quota be postponed until after the Haj operation concludes. “As secretary, I assure accountability, but officials are currently overwhelmed with Haj operations,” he said. He also disclosed that Saudi authorities had conveyed there was no additional quota for the 67,000 Pakistani applicants, advising, “It’s better we stop discussing more quotas.”

Dr Rehman attributed part of the failure to banking restrictions, noting that private operators couldn’t meet the deadline due to a $300,000 cap on one-time transfers, resulting in only 13,260 applicants being processed before the Saudi portal closed. He also criticised operators for continuing to collect payments despite the expired deadline.

Malik Amir Dogar, chairman of the National Assembly’s standing committee, called the lapse “the biggest scandal in Pakistan’s Haj history” and demanded accountability. The committee formed a subcommittee to meet the prime minister and urge his intervention.

Dogar held both ministry officials and private operators responsible, a sentiment echoed by committee member Shagufta Jumani, who singled out the secretary, joint secretary, and DG Haj for the failure.

Ejazul Haq, another MNA, stressed the need for PM-level engagement with Saudi Arabia but predicted private operators would recover little of their advance payments.

Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousuf expressed regret over the lapsed quota but noted Saudi Arabia had not yet issued a “final refusal.” He pinned hopes on a PM-constituted inquiry committee’s findings and highlighted that Pakistan’s Haj quota, based on population, should exceed 210,000—not the current 179,610.

Later, in the Senate committee meeting, Dr Rehman confirmed the “chapter is closed” for accommodating more pilgrims this year. Applicants would instead be offered Haj in 2025 at the same cost.

Senator Ataur Rehman attributed the crisis to “internal discord,” while officials revealed the 10,000 additional quota post-February 12 had been allocated to Bangladesh and India. Senator Aon Abbas questioned why the ministry failed to stop private operators from sending millions of riyals between February and April despite no available quota. The Senate standing committee also formed a subcommittee to investigate and fix responsibility.