Government Considers Handing Over Hajj Operations to Private Sector

According to Dr. Zulfiqar Haider, secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the government is considering withdrawing from managing Hajj arrangements and potentially handing over the entire program to private operators starting next year.

During a Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs meeting chaired by Senator Maulana Atta-ur-Rehman, he made these comments.

Dr. Haider revealed that the government scheme received significantly more complaints than private operators this year. While only 80 complaints were filed against private Hajj operators, the government scheme received 18,000 grievances.

Previously, the Ministry of Religious Affairs registered 904 Hajj tour companies. However, concerns raised by Saudi authorities over the large number of registered operators led to the government retaining only 162 firms, all registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).

This year, Saudi Arabia allocated a Hajj quota of 2,000 pilgrims per company, distributed among 46 operators. Dr. Haider emphasized that private operators must withdraw their legal cases, as any delays caused by ongoing court proceedings could jeopardize their quotas.

He further warned that prolonged legal disputes in the Sindh High Court, which has requested meeting minutes related to the issue, could lead to Saudi Arabia canceling these quotas entirely. Dr. Haider urged private operators to cooperate to prevent any disruption to the program.