Senate body orders Rs36.43bn refund to 67,000 pilgrims affected by Hajj mismanagement

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has been directed to fully refund Rs36.43 billion to more than 67,000 Pakistani pilgrims who were unable to perform Haj this year due to administrative failures and delayed payments by private tour operators.

The directive was issued by a subcommittee of the Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs, which met on Friday under the chairmanship of Senator Aon Abbas Buppi.

The committee instructed the ministry to ensure that all refunds are completed by August 15, without any deductions, including those related to currency conversion or service charges.

“This is not just a financial matter but a deeply emotional loss for thousands of citizens,” said Senator Buppi. “The entire amount lying in Saudi accounts must be returned to the rightful owners.”

Religious Affairs Secretary Dr Attaur Rehman informed the committee that Pakistan was allocated a Haj quota of 179,210 by the Saudi government for 2025, of which 90,830 slots were assigned to private Haj operators.

However, a Saudi policy change mandated that only operators managing between 500 and 2,000 pilgrims would be eligible, a threshold none of the 903 registered Pakistani private operators met.

While the ministry repeatedly urged compliance, the Hajj Operators Association of Pakistan (HOAP) obtained a stay order from the Sindh High Court, delaying the process.

Though the stay was lifted on January 7, the delay left insufficient time to deposit the full payments required by Saudi authorities by the February 14 deadline.

Despite partial transfers, only 187 million riyals were deposited by the deadline, making just 26,986 pilgrims eligible for Hajj. The rest were left behind.

According to DG Hajj Abdul Wahab Soomro, Pakistani operators transferred a total of 667 million riyals to Saudi accounts, of which 489 million riyals (approximately Rs36.43 billion) remain unutilised and must now be reimbursed.

Senator Dinesh Kumar condemned the failure, calling it “sheer negligence” that deprived thousands of their religious duty. Senator Bushra Anjum Butt criticized the HOAP for failing to attend the meeting, calling their absence “unacceptable” in a matter of such public importance.

The sub-committee also instructed the ministry to submit a complete list of current and new private Haj operators to the main standing committee. Senator Buppi recommended the establishment of a high-level federal commission to oversee and regulate private Haj operators, ensuring accountability and preventing future mishaps.

The session also reviewed a March 2025 letter by former Religious Affairs Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain, raising concerns over the awarding of contracts for hotels, transport, catering, and Mashaheer services, calling for further scrutiny of the process.