Thousands of Pakistani pilgrims will be unable to perform Haj this year, primarily due to delays in agreements and payments, despite Saudi Arabia allotting an additional quota of 10,000 people from the country. The issue is being attributed to the failure of the private quota even as the Haj organisers point the rejection to late bookings and payments.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken note of the issue and ordered an immediate inquiry into the failure of the private quota by forming a three-member committee which will submit its report within three days. The premier also inquired why the government missed Saudi deadlines.
Saudi Arabia allocated Pakistan 179,210 Haj slots, evenly divided between government and private schemes. However, only 14,000 private applications were successful, leaving thousands unable to complete their spiritual journey this year. The organisers, meanwhile, stated that they had secured 67,000 pilgrims and had also released 7 million Saudi Riyal (SAR) to Saudi Arabia, adding that delays in finalising the agreements resulted in rejection of applications by the Saudi authorities.
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Islamabad took note of the issue and requested Saudi authorities for additional slots, a request which was considered with approval of another 10,000 slots. But, the additional quota was still insufficient in accommodating the high demand, leaving at least 67,000 pilgrims short of spots.
Haj organisers have called on Prime Minister Sharif to intervene into the issue to prevent further disruptions, insisting that there is a need for improved coordination with the Saudi authorities to secure quotas in time.
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