ISLAMABAD: The federal government has finalised and approved an “effective and comprehensive” Hajj Policy 2026 in line with guidelines issued by Saudi Arabia, Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said on Monday, confirming Pakistan’s Hajj quota at 179,210 pilgrims.
Speaking in a podcast interview with Radio Pakistan’s News and Current Affairs Channel, the minister said around 120,000 Pakistani pilgrims would perform Hajj under the government scheme, while approximately 60,000 would go through private Hajj operators. He added that nationwide preparations were already underway, with mandatory training sessions for intending pilgrims being conducted across various districts to ensure better awareness and smoother arrangements during the pilgrimage.
Yousaf said nearly 38,000 pilgrims would depart from Islamabad under the “Road to Makkah” project, a facility that streamlines immigration procedures in Pakistan before departure. Currently operational in Islamabad and Karachi, efforts were underway to extend the initiative to Lahore in order to facilitate a larger number of pilgrims.
Highlighting broader responsibilities of his ministry, the minister said the Ministry of Religious Affairs was also actively working to promote interfaith harmony and national cohesion by providing an inclusive platform for all religious communities in the country. He stressed that Pakistan’s Constitution guarantees equal rights to minorities and that the government remained committed to safeguarding those rights in both policy and practice.
He said the government provided scholarships to children belonging to minority communities, allocated funds for the rehabilitation and protection of their places of worship, and extended financial assistance to deserving individuals. In addition, minorities benefited from reserved job quotas and representation in parliament, reflecting the state’s commitment to inclusive governance, he added.
Placing the issue in a regional context, Yousaf expressed concern over what he described as hardships faced by religious communities in India. He referred to incidents of vandalism and ransacking reported during Christmas celebrations in India in December last year, saying such developments underscored the need for greater respect for religious freedoms in the region.
The minister also revealed that his ministry had introduced a new centralised system to better organise pilgrimages by Zaireen to holy sites in Iran and Iraq, aimed at improving management, transparency and security for Pakistani pilgrims undertaking these journeys.
