Govt Hajj Applicants Accused of Violating Merit Criteria

Hajj applicants have accused government officials of violating merit criteria in the selection of employees for Khuddam Al-Hajjaj (Muavineen-e-Hajjaj) 2026.

According to complaints filed on the Prime Minister’s Portal, the merit list was allegedly uploaded without conducting mandatory physical tests. The complaints state that shortly after the results appeared on the portal late on December 20, selection messages were sent to certain candidates, while physical tests for successful applicants were dropped.

Applications for Khuddam Al-Hajjaj from government employees were invited until November 30. Following the announcement of results, candidates whose rights were allegedly violated also approached the Federal Ombudsman for a review and demanded selection strictly on merit.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Religious Affairs said the selection process follows a formula under which 70 percent of positions are allocated to previously selected candidates and 30 percent to new applicants.

The spokesperson added that provincial quotas are applied according to population, and applications were received from government employees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and the former FATA regions.