The federal government is finalising a new Hajj policy that will request an expanded quota of 255,000 pilgrims for Pakistan next year, up from this year's 189,000.
The policy, which is being prepared in consultation with stakeholders and will soon be tabled before the cabinet, also aims to explore the resumption of Hajj travel by sea and extend Saudi Arabia's "Road to Makkah" immigration facility to more Pakistani airports.
The developments were shared during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Religious Affairs on Monday.
The panel met under the chairmanship of Malik Amir Dogar at the Parliament House, where Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf gave a comprehensive briefing on this year's Hajj arrangements.
He said this year's pilgrimage was "one of the most successful in recent memory", adding that the Saudi government and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had congratulated the Pakistani authorities for the well-executed operations.
"For the first time, Pakistan received an 'Excellence Award' from the Saudi government for its outstanding Hajj management," he told the committee. He added that Pakistani pilgrims were provided with air-conditioned facilities at key ritual sites including Arafat.
Yousaf said a new Hajj policy is being formulated under the instructions of the prime minister and in line with Saudi guidelines, and would soon be presented before the federal cabinet. Members of the committee were invited to share suggestions for the new policy.
He added that the Saudi authorities had already issued their updated Hajj policy on 12th Dhul Hijjah.
Regarding registration for Hajj 2025, the minister revealed that over 455,000 people had already signed up. "Pakistan's previous quota was 189,000 pilgrims. Next year, we hope to receive an expanded quota of 255,000, for which we've submitted a request to the Saudi authorities," he added.
The committee also discussed reducing Hajj costs by offering installment-based payment options, resuming travel by sea routes and limiting the use of luxury accommodations.
Without mahram
During the session, the committee also discussed the Saudi government's recent policy allowing women to perform Hajj and Umrah without a mahram (male guardian).
While the minister confirmed that no Pakistani pilgrims were assigned to any Indian company - clarifying that a firm named "Asia Bhart" was mistaken for an Indian entity due to its name - a member raised religious concerns.
The committee subsequently decided to seek the opinion of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on the permissibility of women travelling without a mahram for pilgrimage under Islamic teachings.
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