Pakistan says Saudi Arabia has granted additional 10,000 slots for private Hajj scheme

Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf speaks during the Hajj Confrence in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 21, 2025. (Ministry of Religious Affairs)
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Updated 21 April 2025
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Pakistan says Saudi Arabia has granted additional 10,000 slots for private Hajj scheme

  • Nearly 90,000 Pakistanis are expected to perform Hajj pilgrimage under government scheme
  • Around 23,620 Pakistani were to perform Hajj through private scheme before new slots added

ISLAMABAD: Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said on Monday Saudi Arabia had granted Pakistan an additional 10,000 slots for Hajj pilgrims traveling under the private scheme. 

The annual Islamic pilgrimage is expected to take place this year in June. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Hajj Agreement 2025 in January, under which Pakistan was given a quota of 179,210 for the pilgrimage to be divided equally between government and private schemes.

Nearly 90,000 Pakistanis are expected to travel to Saudi Arabia under the government scheme this year and 23,620 Pakistani were to perform Hajj through private tour operators, which means that over 60,000 slots from the total quota had remained unfilled. 

“We have been allowed 10,000 more in the quota, this is not government but private quota,” Yousaf told reporters. 

The development has not yet been confirmed by Saudi authorities. 

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a three-member inquiry committee to probe why Pakistan had failed to use the full 179,210 quota for Hajj 2025.

Hajj flight operations will begin from Apr. 29 with the first flight departing from Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore.

While a precise number for Hajj 2025 is difficult to determine in advance, projections suggest it will be a record-breaking year, with over 2.5 million pilgrims expected.


Government says Imran Khan’s ‘detailed’ medical report shared, family disputes claim

Updated 06 February 2026
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Government says Imran Khan’s ‘detailed’ medical report shared, family disputes claim

  • Khan underwent an eye procedure last month, PTI says family was not informed
  • Ex-PM’s sister says only brief notes provided despite Supreme Court assurance

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government said on Friday a “detailed” medical report of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan had been shared with his family following directions from the prime minister’s office, even as Khan’s relatives disputed the claim and accused jail authorities of withholding information.

Concerns over Khan’s health were raised by his family and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party last month after the government confirmed he was taken from prison to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for a brief eye procedure. Authorities said at the time that Khan’s condition was stable and the treatment routine, while PTI leaders said they were not informed in advance and questioned the lack of transparent medical disclosure.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the report was prepared by PIMS and had been forwarded to the prison authorities and handed over to Khan’s family.

“A letter was written by the Leader of the Opposition to the Prime Minister and PTI Leaders also approached the Supreme Court of Pakistan regarding medical check up of Mr. Imran Ahmad [Khan] Niazi who is serving his sentences in Central Jail Rawalpindi (Adiala),” he said in a social media post on X.

“On directions from Prime Minister’s Office, a detailed report has been sent by Executive Director PIMS Hospital to the Superintendent of Central Jail Rawalpindi (Adiala) which has been handed over to the family,” he added.

 

However, the former prime minister’s sister Aleema Khan said they had not received complete medical reports, despite assurances given by the country’s top judge.

“The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court committed last Friday that Imran Khan’s medical reports would be provided to his family,” she said on X. “Today, when the jail superintendent appeared before the ATC [Anti-Terrorism Court], only two brief notes were submitted.”

She said the government’s conduct reflected a disregard for the court’s order, urging the Chief Justice of Pakistan to issue a contempt notice to the jail authorities and ensure that Khan’s medical reports were handed over to his family without further delay.

The dispute has renewed tensions surrounding Khan’s incarceration, which has become a flashpoint in Pakistan’s deeply polarized politics. 

Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has been in prison since August 2023 following multiple convictions that he and his party say are politically motivated, a charge the government denies.