Saudi Arabia rejects Pakistan’s request, finalises decision to cut Pakistani Haj group organisers from 905 to 46

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team has reviewed this content and determined that it is misleading.

To reach this conclusion, the iVerify Pakistan team referred to reporting from mainstream media outlets to corroborate if they reported any such news.

Multiple Indian accounts were sharing posts since September 4, 2024, on social media platform X claiming that Saudi Arabia rejected Pakistan’s request and finalised the decision to cut Pakistani Haj group organisers (HGOs) from 905 to 46. However, the development occurred in October 2023, not recently.

In July 2024, UAE authorities in Dubai expressed concerns about inappropriate behaviour by some Pakistani labourers, including the unauthorised filming of women. This issue has harmed the reputation of Pakistani workers in the Gulf. These problems highlighted broader misconduct issues and underscored the need for improved regulation and skill development within Pakistan’s labour force.

The Senate Stand­ing Committee on Overseas Pakist­a­nis was informed in July that in September 2023, organised gangs of Pakistani beggars were found operating in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, who travelled to these countries as pilgrims.

Most of these people visited Saudi Arabia on Umrah visas and Saudi authorities reported that 90 per cent of all beggars arrested in the country were Pakistanis.

HOW IT STARTED

On September 4, 2024, Indian digital media outlet Times Algebra shared a post on X with the caption: “Big news: Saudi Arabia rejects Pakistan’s request and says the decision to cut Pakistani pilgrim groups is final.”

The caption further stated, “Saudi Arabia warned Pakistan not to send beggars and thieves under the guise of pilgrims, as 90pc of pickpockets and beggars arrested in Saudi Arabia are Pakistani nationals. Saudi Arabia also said their prisons are overrun due to this issue. The Saudi government has reduced Pakistani HGOs from 905 to just 46.”

The post was seen by 1.3 million people, shared 4,500 times and its screenshot was also widely spread on social messaging platform WhatsApp.

It did not provide a link to a credible news report or press release or provide any other details of when the alleged development occured.

The same claim was shared by Indian users on X as can be seen here, here and here.

It was also shared on other social media platforms such as Instagram by an Indian page, receiving more than 12,000 likes, and on Facebook, as can be seen here and here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and the public’s keen interest in matters pertaining to Saudi-Pakistan bilateral relations and Haj.

An initial search to corroborate the alleged development showed that Times Algebra had shared the same news on its X account in October 2023 and later took down the post.

Searching for news stories from renowned media outlets in October 2023 using relevant keywords such as “Saudi Arabia”, “decision” and “Pakistani Hajj group” led to a report published by The Express Tribune on October 18, 2023, with the headline, “Saudi Decision on Cutting Pakistan Haj Groups ‘Final’.”

According to the news report, the Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs had discussed the Saudi government’s decision to reduce Pakistani HGOs from 905 to 46.

Despite a letter requesting a postponement and gradual reduction, the committee acknowledged that the Saudi decision was unlikely to change.

Another similar news story published by The Business Recorder on October 18, 2023, with the headline, “Haj group organisers: Pakistan urges Saudi Arabia to defer reduction,” reported the same.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: MISLEADING

The claim regarding Saudi Arabia rejecting Pakistan’s request and finalising the decision to cut Pakistani HGOs from 905 to 46 is misleading.

The development actually happened but dates back to October 2023 instead of recently. The omission of this crucial detail in recent posts by Indian accounts sharing this information has the potential to misguide the public into thinking the development is a new one, thus spreading concerns about the state of bilateral relations and causing worry about Haj preparations.

Evidence and References

October 18, 2023, Express Tribune news story:
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2441704/saudi-decision-on-cutting-pakistan-hajj-groups-final

October 18, 2023, Business Recorder news story:
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40268681