ISLAMABAD: Pakistan fully utilized its Hajj quota this year, enabling about 180,000 pilgrims to perform the annual pilgrimage under government and private schemes, Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said on Thursday while pointing out that the country also secured four excellence awards for its Hajj arrangements.
The minister’s remarks came as Pakistan began the post-Hajj phase of operations in Saudi Arabia, with thousands of pilgrims arriving in Madinah before returning home. The government has repeatedly said it sought to improve services for pilgrims this year after concerns in previous years over private sector allocations.
“By the grace of Allah, as this year’s 2026 Hajj commenced, Pakistan’s quota under the government scheme, comprising approximately 119,216 pilgrims, performed their Hajj,” Yousaf told a televised news conference in Madinah. “Similarly, around 60,000 pilgrims arrived for Hajj under the private scheme.”
“This entire Pakistani quota, totaling roughly 180,000, was completely utilized,” he added.
Yousaf said Pakistan had once again received the Labaytum Excellence Award from Saudi authorities, while the country’s private Hajj sector secured three additional excellence awards.
“It is a matter of great pride for Pakistan that it has received a total of four excellence awards this year,” he said.
The minister credited Pakistani officials involved in the operation, saying they had worked to provide services to pilgrims throughout the Hajj season.
According to the minister, 46,945 Pakistani pilgrims visited Madinah during the pre-Hajj phase, with accommodation arranged in the central area near the Prophet’s Mosque.
He said approximately 72,271 pilgrims would travel from Makkah to Madinah during the post-Hajj phase before departing for Pakistan, adding that about 5,800 had already arrived in the city.
