ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry sent a warning letter this week to 16 private Hajj companies, saying they had been taking payments from prospective pilgrims directly instead of using designated banks while threatening to blacklist them and cancel their quota if they fail to comply.
Pakistan traditionally divides the national Hajj quota equally between government and private schemes. Last year, nearly 63,000 pilgrims were unable to perform Hajj under the private scheme due to delayed payments and mismanagement, prompting the authorities to cut the private sector quota to 33 percent this year.
The ministry noted in its letter that no vouchers had been submitted by these companies, with their deposits showing a zero balance.
“This constitutes a serious violation of the Service Providers’ Agreement (SPA), Hajj Policy and Cabinet directives,” said the letter written on Sept. 15, a copy of which is in possession of Arab News.
The ministry asked these companies to ensure immediate compliance with the SPA and submit all relevant vouchers to banks.
