Ministry warns against illegal Hajj promotion campaigns

Ministry of Religious Affairs has urged aspiring pilgrims and general public to remain cautious about promotional campaigns for Hajj services by unauthorised agencies, groups, and caravans.

In an official notice issued on Thursday by the ministry’s Hajj-3 Branch, authorities expressed concern over the growing number of unapproved organisations advertising attractive Hajj packages through Facebook and other social media platforms in an attempt to lure prospective pilgrims.

The notice signed by ministry’s Public Relations Officer Md. Abubakar Siddique stated only the government-approved, licensed, and enlisted Hajj agencies are authorised to organise and facilitate Hajj-related activities. It emphasized that no unauthorised agency, agent, group, or caravan is legally permitted to conduct Hajj operations, and individuals cannot travel for Hajj through such entities.

The notice further advised the public not to engage in any financial transaction related to Hajj with unauthorised agencies, travel agents, groups, or caravans. Prospective pilgrims have been strongly encouraged to verify the credentials of service providers and deal only with officially approved Hajj agencies listed by the ministry.

The ministry also announced the official Hajj Package and Guidelines for Hajj 2027 will be released shortly, and already the relevant stakeholders and intending pilgrims have been asked to follow the government-approved package and guidelines, once published.