Hajj 2025: Private bookings to open on January 10

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has announced that private group bookings for Hajj 2025 will begin on January 10.In a video statement, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi stated that private Hajj bookings will commence from tomorrow after the settlement of the matters. He added that the Pakistani government will work to improve arrangements for the government quota and private Hajj pilgrims.Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi also emphasized that adherence to Saudi Arabian and Pakistani laws is mandatory.It is worth mentioning that Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, chaired a meeting on this matter yesterday, which was attended by the head of Pakistan Ulema Council, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, Secretary of Religious Affairs Zulfiqar Haider, and Chairman of HOAP Nasser Khan.Earlier, it was announced that women seeking to perform Hajj without a male guardian (mahram) would require permission from their husbands or parents, according to a statement from the Ministry of Religious Affairs on Tuesday.A week ago, the secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Dr. Zulfiqar Haider, suggested that the government plans to withdraw from handling Hajj arrangements.He indicated that starting next year (2026), the entire Hajj program may be allocated to private operators, as reported by Express News.Dr. Haider made these comments during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs, chaired by Senator Maulana Atta-ur-Rehman on Tuesday.According to Saudi Arabia’s directives, he revealed that the number of companies operating for Hajj had been reduced from 500 to 162 last year. He added that the ministry intended to step away from managing Hajj arrangements in the future.The secretary further mentioned that all Hajj operations might be carried out by private operators next year. However, he warned that private Hajj operators must withdraw their cases from court, or their quotas would be revoked. Initially, 904 private companies were registered for Hajj operations.He also discussed that Saudi Arabia had expressed concern over the many companies involved.Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has announced that polio vaccination is mandatory for travelers from Pakistan and several other countries.In a statement, GACA specified that passengers from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mozambique must present a valid polio vaccination certificate upon entry to the Kingdom.