ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religious affairs minister, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, on Friday downplayed his earlier remarks about “40,000 missing pilgrims” in the Middle East, saying the number reflected outdated travel records, not mass disappearances, amid growing scrutiny of undocumented religious travelers in the region.
The clarification follows media reports, citing official data, that around 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims to Iran, Iraq and Syria had either gone missing or overstayed in the past decade, prompting the government to draft a new pilgrimage monitoring policy and raise the issue with host countries.
Each year, thousands of Pakistani Shia pilgrims travel to religious shrines in these countries, but host governments have repeatedly flagged the issue of undocumented or unreturned visitors.
Speaking to Arab News a day earlier, Mustafa Jamal Kazi, Director General of Immigration and Passports, said most of the disappearances occurred in Iraq due to the lure of employment in its booming construction sector, and that the exploitation of religious tourism for begging was among the most common motives for absconding.
He also confirmed the officially stated number of missing pilgrims, saying these people “never returned during the last almost one decade.”
“My reference to 40,000 pilgrims was never intended to give the impression that thousands of Pakistanis are missing abroad,” the religious affairs minister said in a statement. “The real issue is that older paper records have not yet been fully transferred to our central digital registry.”
He said the religious affairs ministry had launched a modern digital portal where pilgrims and group organizers are issued QR-coded e-cards, allowing families and the government to access real-time travel data.
“This step will eliminate room for misunderstanding or propaganda, and ensure timely sharing of pilgrim data with officials in Iran, Iraq, and Syria,” the minister said, calling the move a key measure toward secure and accountable pilgrimage.
Yousaf also appealed to tour operators and prospective pilgrims to register their information on the new system by August 31 to avoid being flagged as part of “incomplete lists.”
“Our goal is to make every Pakistani’s journey safe,” he said. “Let’s work together to show the world that our records are transparent and that Pakistan is using modern technology to ensure responsible oversight.”
As part of broader reforms, the government has also abolished the traditional “Salar system” — in which private group leaders managed logistics — and introduced a centralized framework under the new Ziyarat Management Policy, holding licensed organizers accountable for each pilgrim’s return.
