Women who do not obtain permission from their husbands or fathers will not be able to perform the Haj, a statement from the Ministry of Religious Affairs said on Tuesday.
This year, the Saudi government has allocated a total Haj quota of 179,210 pilgrims to Pakistan. According to the ministry, some 89,602 people will perform the pilgrimage under the government plan, while the rest will do so through private tour operators.
According to the Haj Policy document 2025, a copy of which is available with dawn.comWomen will be able to travel alone to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage, subject to conditions set by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII).
“According to the decision of the Council of Islamic Ideology adopted in its session no. 232 held on June 6 and 7, 2023, a female pilgrim (without mehram) will be permitted to perform Haj subject to the conditions that: a) She has been permitted by her parents and, if married, by her husband . b) You will have a group of reliable pilgrims and there will be no threat to your dignity,” the document reads.
In the past, Pakistani women were not allowed to travel alone to Saudi Arabia on pilgrimage.
But in 2021, the Saudi government lifted the ban on women traveling alone for Haj and Umrah. The move was part of a campaign by the Saudi political leadership to improve women’s rights in the country.
The document further said that children under 12 years of age would not be allowed to attend the Haj and that immunization with Saudi-approved vaccines was mandatory.