The Ministry of Religious Affairs has decided to reduce the number of Hajj assistants for the 2025 pilgrimage by 50%, following a significant drop in the number of Pakistani pilgrims.
Originally, 840 assistants had been selected to serve 179,210 pilgrims through a competitive National Testing Service (NTS) exam. However, due to 67,000 Pakistanis being unable to perform Hajj this year, only 440 assistants will now be deployed, sources confirmed.
Officials stated that the ministry will utilize the services of the first 440 candidates who passed the NTS test, in line with the revised requirements. The decision aims to align support staff numbers with the actual number of pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia.
