Pakistan Requested Saudi Arabia to Raise Hajj Quota: Yousuf

Islamabad: Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, has stated that serving Hajj pilgrims is a form of worship, and striving sincerely for the welfare of people is an act of devotion. He made these remarks during a reception at Darul Uloom Mansehra, emphasizing the significant reforms introduced under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s leadership to enhance the Hajj experience for Pakistani pilgrims.

According to Radio Pakistan, Sardar Yousaf highlighted the efforts to address the shortcomings of past administrations in managing Hajj services, which posed a major challenge. He expressed satisfaction that public trust in the Ministry of Religious Affairs has been restored, as demonstrated by a record number of over 450,000 applications received for Hajj registration this year.

The Minister further revealed that Pakistan has formally requested the Saudi government to increase the Hajj quota to 230,000, aligning it with the country’s population, to enable more citizens to undertake the pilgrimage.