Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousuf said Pakistan is in close contact with the Saudi government to press for raising the Hajj quota to 230,000 on a population-proportional basis. He expressed confidence that Pakistan’s Hajj quota will be increased alongside allocations for other countries and underscored ongoing talks aimed at a meaningful rise.
Under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s directives and the approved Hajj Policy 2026, the ministry is implementing timely arrangements in line with the Saudi timeline. Work is underway to reform the private Hajj scheme so that pilgrims travelling with private operators receive more reasonable packages and improved services. The government scheme already offered payment-in-two-installments to 120,000 pilgrims, a facility that received strong public support.
The Route to Makkah project is being expanded to include Lahore Airport alongside Islamabad and Karachi so that dual immigration can be completed inside Pakistan. This will allow pilgrims to board buses directly to their accommodations on arrival in Saudi Arabia instead of waiting in long queues at Saudi airports. More than 38,000 pilgrims will use the Route to Makkah immigration facility at Islamabad Airport this year, and pilgrims from Peshawar are also preferring Islamabad for departure.
The minister spoke to participants at a Hajj training workshop at the Hajj Complex Islamabad, where Federal Secretary Dr. Sajid Mehmood Chauhan, Joint Secretary and Chief Coordinator Training Ahmed Nazeer Khan, Director Hajj Qazi Sami-ur-Rehman and other officials were present. He said ministry teams will begin the second phase of training after Ramadan, providing detailed guidance on vaccinations and other services.
Hajj-related complaints fell by about 75 percent after the 2025 season, and the ministry aims to reduce them further for Hajj 2026. Pakistan was recognised by Saudi authorities with an excellence award for its arrangements, and the minister set a goal for the country to be among the top three performing nations. He also announced that the official service staff designation will revert from ‘Muawinun Hajj’ back to the traditional title ‘Khuddam al-Hujjaj’ to reflect the spirit of service.
The ministry has prepared a 22-point guidance for pilgrims to ease performance of the rites. Sardar Muhammad Yousuf urged pilgrims to observe the rules of the Two Holy Mosques, avoid using mobile phones for photos or video during Tawaf and visits to the Rawdah to preserve the sanctity of worship, and to refrain from crowding around the Black Stone since greeting from a distance is also a recommended practice. These measures, he said, will help ensure an organized and dignified pilgrimage experience for Pakistani pilgrims.
