- A $13.3 million transfer error by the Pakistani government has put 67,000 pilgrims’ Hajj plans at risk, sparking outrage and calls for accountability.
- The incident worsens Pakistan’s Hajj crisis, with slot shortages, delays, and dual nationals abroad also affected.
Thousands of Pakistani pilgrims now face the prospect of missing Hajj after the Pakistani government transferred their payments into the wrong Saudi account. Reports suggest this was an inadvertent error.
Malik Muhammad Aamir Dogar, chair of Pakistan’s Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, confirmed that some 50 million Saudi riyals ($13.3 million) intended for the Ministry of Hajj were instead wired to an account linked to OPEC—Dogar has decried the incident as one of the “biggest scandals in the country’s history.” He warned, “This is not just about money. It’s about the dreams and faith of 67,000 Pakistanis who may now be left behind.” Dogar insisted that “those responsible must be identified—whether in the ministry or among private operators who sold the Hajj packages,” and vowed, “If Hajj cannot be performed, the money must be returned. We will assess if profits are being earned on the pilgrims’ money.”
Federal Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf expressed regret and vowed to the committee that “the money routed through the system will be refunded.” He added that an extra 10,000 Hajj slots have already been secured, with negotiations underway for additional places. The snafu deepens Pakistan’s ongoing Hajj crisis: of the 179,210 places granted by Saudi Arabia—89,605 earmarked for private operators and 10,000 held by the government—private firms have filled only 23,000 slots, blaming Saudi Arabia’s online system, while officials accuse them of deliberate delays. The error may also imperil dual nationals in Europe and the Americas who booked through Pakistan’s portal—a route many relied on after Saudi Arabia centralised Hajj bookings for countries such as the UK and US.
