Around 67,000 Pakistanis who applied for Hajj through private tour operators are now at risk of missing the pilgrimage, with over Rs36 billion in payments hanging in the balance. The issue stems from the failure to secure visas after missing the submission deadline on Saudi Arabia’s digital Hajj portal.
Private organizers claim the funds—estimated at 480 million Saudi Riyals—have already been transferred abroad and partially spent on bookings for accommodation, meals, and other services in Makkah and Madinah. However, the lack of timely data entry on the Saudi portal meant the visas were never issued.
Only 23,000 out of nearly 90,000 private applicants managed to get their information uploaded and obtain visas. The remaining 67,000 now face the prospect of losing both their opportunity to perform Hajj and the money they paid months in advance.
According to tour operators, delays from Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and foreign currency restrictions imposed by the State Bank contributed significantly to the crisis. Operators were not authorized to begin arrangements in Saudi Arabia until January 10, giving them just over a month to meet the February 14 deadline.
Additionally, daily limits on foreign currency transfers hampered timely payments to service providers in Saudi Arabia. One operator told BBC Urdu, “We started bookings, but the payments couldn’t go through in time. Now the portal is closed, and our clients are left without visas.”
The financial implications are severe. Many organizers say they won’t be able to refund the affected pilgrims, even if they sell their personal assets. Much of the money has already been spent in fragmented transactions—hotels were paid but meals weren’t, or catering was arranged without completing accommodation payments—leading to the rejection of applications on the portal.
Unlike the private applicants, those enrolled in the official government Hajj scheme—around 90,000 individuals—remain unaffected and are expected to proceed as planned.
As the Hajj season approaches, the fate of the stranded pilgrims and the billions in at-risk funds remains unresolved, with no clear path to reimbursement or recovery in sight.
