Monitoring Desk
A Saudi official on Tuesday dismissed reports claiming that funds for thousands of Pakistani Hajj pilgrims were mistakenly transferred to the wrong account, calling them “baseless” and reiterating that the Kingdom’s electronic Hajj system operates with the “highest standards of transparency and accuracy.”
Earlier this month, local media reports suggested that millions of Saudi Riyals intended for Pakistani pilgrims’ expenses were erroneously sent to an Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) account instead of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, raising concerns over potential delays in the upcoming pilgrimage.
Nearly 89,000 Pakistanis are scheduled to perform Hajj this year under the government scheme, while 23,620 will travel through private tour operators. However, Pakistan could not fully utilize the total quota of 179,210 pilgrims allocated by Saudi authorities.
“Recent claims in some Pakistani media outlets about ‘Hajj funds being sent to the wrong Saudi account’ are baseless and stem from a misunderstanding of the Hajj account management system,” the Saudi official said. He emphasized that the ministry’s official platform ensures full transparency and adheres to strict standards.
Amid the controversy, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered an inquiry to determine why Pakistan’s full Hajj quota could not be utilized, particularly by private tour operators.
Commenting on the issue, the Saudi official explained that preparations for the 2025 Hajj were finalized at the end of last year’s pilgrimage season. The Saudi ministry had urged all participating countries, including Pakistan, to complete contracts and arrangements on time.
“Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs successfully completed all contracts for government scheme pilgrims without any notable challenges,” the official noted. “However, a number of Pakistani private companies failed to finalize their pilgrims’ contracts within the designated timeline,” he said, adding that such delays have been observed in previous Hajj seasons too.
The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah remains in “high-level coordination” with Pakistani authorities to ensure smooth Hajj arrangements.
Meanwhile, Pakistan launched its Hajj flight operations on Tuesday morning, with the first batch of 442 pilgrims departing from Islamabad for Madinah.
