Stern Action: Hajj operators failing to submit pilgrim funds risk license cancellation

ISLAMABAD: The Religious Affairs Ministry has decided to take stern action against private Hajj operators who did not submit the amount of private Hajj pilgrims, ARY News reported, citing sources.

Sources said that if any pilgrim is unable to travel to Hajj 2026 owing to the carelessness of a private operator, then the company’s license will be cancelled.

The licenses of Hajj operators who failed to transfer Hajj pilgrims’ amounts will be cancelled.

The Religious Affairs Ministry further warned that such companies will no longer be allowed to work as operators.

It added that action will be taken against respective Hajj operators for financial irregularities.

The Ministry informed that the remaining quota of operators who could not secure services until December 15 will be transferred to the government Hajj Scheme.

The last date for the submission of Hajj 2026 expenditure in Saudi Arabia is December 31.

The ministry has directed all Hajj operators to submit 100 percent of the Hajj package expenditures into the respective bank accounts in Saudi Arabia.

Earlier, In accordance with the guidelines issued by the Saudi Ministry of Health, new medical conditions have been enforced for Hajj 2026.

The Saudi government has imposed a complete ban on ailing pilgrims, the Ministry of Religious Affairs confirmed.

According to the Saudi Ministry of Health, individuals suffering from kidney failure or undergoing dialysis will not be permitted to perform Hajj in 2026. As per the newly introduced medical criteria, pilgrims with lung and liver diseases will also be restricted, the Ministry of Religious Affairs stated.

The ministry further warned that ailing pilgrims will be deported from Saudi Arabia, and all expenses incurred in this regard will have to be paid by the individuals themselves.

Legal action will also be initiated against doctors who issue fitness certificates to medically unfit pilgrims, it added.

Pilgrims with severe neurological or psychiatric illnesses, memory loss, and other chronic conditions will also be prohibited from undertaking the pilgrimage, the ministry clarified.

Pregnant women, and those suffering from whooping cough, tuberculosis, and viral hemorrhagic fever will not be allowed to perform Hajj 2026, according to the spokesperson.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs further confirmed that cancer patients have also been barred from performing Hajj. Medical officers will have the authority to prevent a pilgrim from traveling if they are deemed unfit prior to departure. Saudi monitoring teams will verify the validity and accuracy of pilgrims’ medical fitness certificates.

Only those individuals who meet the required basic health standards will be allowed to embark on the sacred journey, the Ministry of Religious Affairs emphasized.