The Ministry of Religious Affairs has written to the Director General of Passports, ordering all passport offices across the country to remain open today and tomorrow, including Saturday and Sunday.

This step aims to speed up passport issuance for intending pilgrims as well as Hajj-related staff, so no one is left behind due to delays.

Sources say passports of welfare staff assigned for Hajj duties are still incomplete, raising fears of delayed deployment to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi authorities have clearly instructed that welfare staff passports must be uploaded on the Masar app by December 21. If this condition is not met, the staff will not be allowed to perform duties during Hajj.

The ministry has also recommended immediate issuance of passports for 268 members of the Hajj Medical Mission. These members belong to both civilian institutions and the armed forces, and their timely posting is considered critical.

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To meet the tight deadline, the ministry has requested suspension of weekly holidays at passport offices so that all pending passports for pilgrims and staff can be cleared without delay.

Officials recalled that more than 63,000 Pakistanis were unable to perform Hajj in 2025 due to procedural delays. Learning from that setback, authorities say timely passport issuance has now been made the top priority.

The government is acting under pressure to avoid a repeat of last year’s failure. Keeping passport offices open shows how serious the situation has become. Any delay now could directly stop staff from reaching Saudi Arabia. Quick decisions may help save thousands from missing Hajj again.