Pakistan News: Saudi Official Denies Hajj Funds Mishap
The Saudi government's assurance to resolve the issue has brought relief to the affected pilgrims, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the problem. The electronic Hajj platform's transparency and accuracy are expected to facilitate a smooth resolution to the issue.
A Saudi official has rejected reports that Hajj funds of thousands of Pakistani pilgrims were transferred to the wrong bank account, citing the Kingdom's electronic Hajj platform ensures transparency and accuracy.
The reports claimed that millions of Saudi Riyals meant for Pakistani pilgrims' expenses were mistakenly sent to an account linked to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) instead of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj. However, the Saudi official stated that the issue was due to private Haj operators missing the deadline to secure their pilgrims' contracts.
Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs successfully completed all its pilgrims' contracts without any notable challenges, but a number of Pakistani private companies failed to finalize their pilgrims' contracts within the designated time frame. This resulted in the inability to complete entry procedures for these pilgrims to perform Hajj in the Kingdom.
The issue affects over 67,000 Pakistani pilgrims who may not be able to perform Haj this year. Pakistan's Haj quota for 2025 is 179,210, with half managed by private operators, but only 23,000 people were able to go through private operators. The Saudi government has assured that it will resolve the issue.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed a committee to investigate why the total Hajj quota granted by Saudi authorities to Pakistan could not be utilized, particularly by private tour operators. The first Haj flight from Islamabad to Madinah departed on Tuesday, carrying 427 pilgrims, marking the beginning of Pakistan's Hajj flight operations.