Islamabad: A meeting of the Senate Sub-Committee on Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony was held under the chairmanship of Senator Aon Abbas Buppi at PIPS Hall, Parliament Lodges. The meeting was attended by Senator Bushra Anjum Butt, Senator Danesh Kumar, Federal Secretary for Religious Affairs Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman, Director General Hajj Mr. Abdul Wahab Soomro (from Saudi Arabia), and senior officials of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The agenda focused on the plight of over 67,000 Pakistani pilgrims who were unable to perform Hajj this year, and issues related to Mashaheer Services.
Chairman Senator Aon Abbas Buppi raised critical questions regarding the circumstances that led to such a massive number of Pakistani citizens being deprived of performing Hajj. He inquired about the amount of funds currently held by the Saudi authorities and sought clarity on how affected pilgrims would be reimbursed by private Hajj operators.
Federal Secretary Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman informed the committee that Pakistan was allotted a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for Hajj 2024-25 by the Saudi government. Out of this, 90,830 slots were allocated to private Hajj operators. However, under the revised Saudi policy, only those operators who applied with a group of 500 to 2,000 pilgrims were eligible. In Pakistan, no single operator among the 903 registered had the capacity to fulfill this requirement.
Despite multiple communications from the Ministry, the Hajj Operators Association of Pakistan (HOAP) obtained a stay order from the Sindh High Court against the policy, which was eventually withdrawn on January 7, 2025, following intervention by the Senate Committee. However, the window to meet the Saudi payment deadline had nearly closed by then. During the legal deadlock, HOAP had transferred 50 million Riyals to the Pakistani Hajj Mission’s account. After the stay was lifted, the Ministry instructed the private operators to promptly deposit the remaining funds into designated Saudi E-Wallet account. The State Bank of Pakistan was accordingly authorized to remit up to USD 300,000 per day to facilitate this process.
To cope with the structural limitation, HOAP formed clusters and submitted a list of 41 eligible operators who were then granted formal approval to manage Kadana and Tawafa services. However, by February 14—the Saudi cut-off date—only 187 million Riyals had been deposited. According to Saudi policy, only pilgrims who had paid the full 14,000 Riyals by that date were eligible to perform Hajj. Out of more than 90,000 registered slots, only 63,844 individuals registered and just 26,986 had fully paid, making them eligible.
Director General Hajj Mr. Abdul Wahab Soomro reported that a total of 667 million Riyals had been transferred to Saudi accounts by Pakistani private operators, out of which 489 million Riyals (approximately Rs. 36.43 billion) remain unutilized and are still held in Saudi Arabia. He further informed the committee that the Saudi government had granted two extensions for fund submission—on February 14 and again on February 20—but HOAP failed to complete the process. The final deadline expired on February 22, 2025.
Senator Dinesh Kumar expressed serious concern, stating that the explanation amounted to little more than a waste of time and questioned how such gross negligence occurred that deprived 67,000 Pakistanis of fulfilling their religious obligation. Senator Bushra Anjum Butt strongly condemned HOAP’s absence from the meeting, stating that it was unacceptable for the main stakeholders to skip a session that directly concerned them.
Senator Bushra Anjum Butt highlighted the grievances of overseas Pakistanis, who were misled into traveling to Pakistan under false assurances of a confirmed Hajj quota. These individuals incurred significant financial losses and experienced deep disappointment upon arrival. She said such mismanagement—whether by the Ministry or private operators—has damaged Pakistan’s image and eroded public trust in the system. People are now hesitant and skeptical when considering Hajj.
After extensive consultation with fellow senators, Chairman Aon Abbas Buppi issued clear directives to the Ministry of Religious Affairs. He ordered that by August 15, 2025, all Rs. 36.43 billion held in Saudi Arabia must be refunded in full to the affected pilgrims. He emphasized that there should be no deductions whatsoever, including currency exchange losses or service charges. Additionally, the Ministry was instructed to obtain a complete list from the 41 private operators detailing the names and amounts deposited by each individual. This list must also be submitted to the committee.
Senator Aon Abbas Buppi further directed that the government must ensure proper public awareness of the Saudi Hajj policy for the 2025–26 season after officially determining Pakistan’s stance. Timely dissemination of this information will enable intending pilgrims to prepare and register accordingly through authorized channels.
The second item on the agenda concerned the mechanism of Mashaheer Services. DG Hajj informed the committee that nominated officials from the Ministry coordinate with Saudi-approved service providers. Contracts are awarded to companies offering the best services. However, Senator Aon Abbas Buppi referred to a letter written in March 2025 by former Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik Hussain, expressing concerns about the award of contracts related to hotel bookings, transport, catering, and Mashaheer services. The letter questioned the basis of comparative evaluations and the reputation and capacity of shortlisted companies.
DG Hajj explained that 14 companies were shortlisted, of which three offered the lowest bids. The winning company quoted a rate of 2,870 Riyals, while the second-lowest bidder quoted 3,070 Riyals. Senator Aon Abbas Buppi expressed concern after reviewing the minutes of the Senate Procurement Committee, questioning how the selected company scored a perfect 100/100 while the second received 98 points, with remarks such as “presentation was weak” used to justify deductions. He noted that the selected company had already been flagged in the former minister’s letter.
In light of these findings, Senator Aon Abbas Buppi directed that the current DG Hajj and the Procurement Committee should be barred from all future financial or contractual matters. He emphasized the need for a transparent, technology-driven procurement process with minimal human intervention, sealed quotations, and automated scoring mechanisms based on clear rules and procedures.
Finally, the committee recommended that the Federal Government immediately establish a high-level commission to evaluate and regulate the operations of private Hajj operators. This would ensure that such failures are not repeated in future Hajj seasons.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
