Around 67,000 Pakistanis may miss Hajj this year because Hajj funds were sent to the wrong account, a National Assembly committee was told on Wednesday. Several private Hajj Group Organisers (HGOs) failed to meet the Saudi deadline for submitting pilgrim details and payments due to a fund transfer error.
Members of the Hajj Organisers Association of Pakistan (HOAP) said 50 million Saudi riyals were wrongly deposited into an OPEC account. It took 28 days to recover the money, causing delays that prevented many pilgrims from being registered in time.
Secretary of Religious Affairs Dr. Atta ur Rehman explained that under new Saudi rules, only HGOs with more than 2,000 pilgrims are allowed to operate. Because of this, 904 smaller organisers were merged into 45 clusters. While 13,620 pilgrims who paid on time were accepted, the Saudi portal was only briefly reopened to accept 10,000 more. After that, no new entries were allowed. Some HGOs failed to transfer money in time due to a $300,000 limit on transactions.
Officials Questioned Over Mishandling
The committee asked tough questions about how the funds were sent to the wrong place. Chairman Malik Amir Dogar demanded a full explanation. DG Hajj Makkah Abdul Wahab admitted that a change in ministry instructions led to confusion about where to send the money.
He said the deadline passed while funds were still being processed. HOAP insisted there was still space for Pakistani pilgrims in Mina, but DG Wahab said he wasn’t aware of any open plots.
Many of the affected pilgrims may not be able to go this year. The Hajj funds sent to the wrong account have caused major problems, and officials now say refunds will only be possible for money transferred through the proper channels.
Some funds spent on accommodation and transport might not be recoverable. The committee has asked for a full breakdown of where the money is currently held.
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