Only 23,620 Pakistani pilgrims will be able to perform Hajj under the private scheme in 2025, the Ministry of Religious Affairs announced on Thursday, marking a significant reduction of over 66,000 from the initially allocated private quota.The development comes after Pakistan was allocated a total Hajj quota of 179,000 pilgrims by the Saudi government, based on population. Of this, 89,801 seats were reserved for private Hajj operators.However, due to non-compliance with Saudi booking regulations, the private sector failed to secure accommodations in Mina, a mandatory requirement for private Hajj operators, before the February 14 deadline set by Saudi authorities.Only around 12,500 bookings were successfully completed through the designated Saudi portal before it was shut down, officials said.Sources within the ministry noted that Saudi authorities declined to extend the deadline, despite appeals. The government had allowed private tour operators to begin transferring funds to Saudi Arabia from January 10, but many operators failed to meet the February 14 cutoff.On Thursday, the Ministry of Religious Affairs announced that 23,620 pilgrims will be able to perform Hajj under Pakistan’s private scheme for 2025.The updated list of approved service providers has been made available on the Ministry of Religious Affairs’ official website (https://pvt-inquiry.hajjinfo.org) and the Pak Hajj 2025 mobile app.The ministry has urged all pilgrims who have booked through registered Hajj Group Organisers (HGOs) to verify their application status and contracts using these online platforms.Additionally, the ministry directed registered companies to issue updated Hajj contracts and ensure visa processing is completed by April 18, 2025, in line with requirements set by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.For queries or complaints, the ministry’s Monitoring Section and HGOs Section can be reached via:Monitoring: 051-9218571 | Email: somonitoring@mora.gov.pkHGOs: 051-9207519 | Email: sohgomora@gmail.com