Story Highlights

• Authorities still making efforts to send intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia
• Secretary and HOAP representative explain what went wrong and how
• Delays were caused by money sent to a wrong account by Pakistani officilas, claims HOAP
• HOAP says agreement does not specify quota would be cancelled; DG Hajj says no quota available now
• The issue could be resolved only at the level of prime minister and Saudi crown prince, says DG Hajj

A ray of hope emerged on Wednesday for around 67,000 intending pilgrims from Pakistan who risk both missing the Hajj this year and losing money after private Hajj organizers failed meet a deadline set by the Saudi authorities for submitting details about pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.

A National Assembly panel was told that money sent via official channels could be refunded and that authorities were still making efforts to make the Hajj journey possible for the affected.

It was also revealed that monies collected from the intending pilgrims were sent to a wrong account and it caused the members of Hajj Organizers Association of Pakistan (HOAP) to miss the February 14 deadline set by the Saudi authorities.

HGOs and the deadline

Secretary Religious Affairs Dr. Atta ur Rehman briefed the committee, stating that under the new guidelines introduced by the Saudi authorities Hajj Group Organizers (HGOs) with quotas less than 2,000 were not longer permitted. He informed that 904 HGOs have been merged into 45 major clusters.

A deadline of February 14 was given to deposit 25% of the total amount of the Hajj expenditure, but this was missed by HGOs. The 13,620 individuals who deposited their money by this date were accepted. The Saudi portal was opened for another 48 hours, he said, and another 10,000 pilgrims were allowed.

Payment method and Saudi regulations

The Secretary explained that payments for private Hajj schemes are transferred to Saudi companies via the DG Hajj, as per Saudi regulations. The DG successfully transferred the HGO funds to the designated Saudi accounts, but due to a restriction on sending $300,000 at once, several HGOs could not complete the process in time.

After 48 hours, the portal was closed. Thanks to efforts by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, permission was granted to send an additional 10,000 pilgrims. The data for this quota was only accessible to Saudi companies or Hajj operators. Lists were collected on a first-come-first-serve basis from HOAP.

Saudi authorities asked for data exceeding 10,000 to validate against their standards. Only those with 14,000 riyals in their accounts would be accepted. HOAP and the Ministry of Religious Affairs cautiously submitted 44,000 names. Only HOAP could verify the order of names in the list.

Fund mismanagement and delays

The Secretary confirmed that the funds transferred via DG Hajj will be returned to intending pilgrims. However, he expressed uncertainty about funds sent outside the official accounts.

An HOAP representative claimed that their funds, 50 million riyals, were wrongly sent to an OPEC account. It took 28 days to retrieve these funds, HOAP representative Bilal said.

The Committee Chairman questioned who was responsible for the account error. The Secretary and HOAP representatives expressed ignorance. The Secretary suggested asking the DG Hajj who made the incorrect transfer.

Committee members hold officials accountable

Committee member Shagufta Jumani held the Secretary, Joint Secretary, and DG Hajj responsible for this historical lapse. Chairman Malik Amir Dogar asked the DG to clarify how and why funds were transferred to the wrong account.

DG Hajj Makkah Abdul Wahab, attending online, said the private Hajj organizers were supposed to deposit 600 million riyals by February 14, which did not happen. When asked repeatedly about the incorrect transfer, he indicated that on December 17, 50 million riyals were wrongly sent.

The ministry initially instructed to transfer funds to one account, then changed it, he said.

Quota cannot be cancelled but DG says not available

Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Yousaf noted that around 3,500 pilgrims had paid by February 14. Tour operators claimed timely deposits were made, but delays were caused due to the account mix-up.

The HOAP claim that locations were still available in Mina was also brought up.

The DG admitted he was unaware of any remaining plots for Pakistanis in Mina. He said Hajj allocations are based on first-come-first-serve and currently sees nothing beyond 23,000 plots.

According to HOAP, the Saudi agreement states that if full payments are not received by February 14, allocations would be made wherever space is available—not that the quota would be canceled. But the Secretary confirmed that Saudi Arabia has declared there is no remaining quota for the 67,000 pilgrims.

The Secretary added that operators were hopeful for a deadline extension and criticized the business model where operators collect funds from pilgrims before remitting them.

HOAP’s representative said 700 million riyals (PKR 36 billion) are still held in Saudi Arabia. DG Hajj Makkah confirmed almost 1 billion riyals have been received so far. He said digital wallet funds can be returned, but funds used for accommodations and transport might not be recoverable.

Chairman Dogar requested a clear breakdown of funds held in government and private accounts.