Makkah: Pakistan completed Hajj 2026 operations and won the Labbaitum Excellence Award for the second year in a row, Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said.
Yousaf announced the award at a post-Hajj press conference at the Pakistan Hajj Mission in Makkah. He said Pakistan’s private Hajj scheme also secured three global awards this year.
The minister said the complaint ratio fell below one per cent during Hajj 2026. He credited coordination between the Government of Pakistan, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Pakistan Hajj Mission and Saudi authorities.
Yousaf said Pakistan handled a Hajj quota of 180,000 pilgrims, making it the world’s second-largest Hajj regulator. He said accommodation, transport and food arrangements helped reduce complaints.
The minister said the Road to Makkah project’s expansion to Lahore allowed 80 per cent of Pakistani pilgrims to use streamlined immigration facilities.
Read: Hajj Pilgrims Leave Makkah After Final Rituals
In Madinah, Pakistan, there are hotels ranging from five-star to one-star in the central Markaziya district, Yousaf said.
He also praised the Hajj Medical Mission and the Saudi German Hospital. He said their coordination helped 146 critically ill pilgrims and older people complete key rituals through specialised medical transport.
Yousaf said misinformation on social media remained a major challenge during the operation. He thanked Saudi King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Minister of Hajj Dr Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah and Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki for their cooperation.
The minister said Saudi authorities had issued the timetable for Hajj 1448 AH, or 2027, and Pakistan had started preparations.
