ISLAMABAD: Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousuf on Saturday walked back a statement that 40,000 religious pilgrims were missing, clarifying that the figure stemmed from a “misunderstanding” of outdated paper records that have not yet been fully digitised.

He told reporters that approximately 40,000 pilgrims’ records remain in paper form and have not been transferred to the digital registry system.

“It was never said that thousands of Pakistanis are missing,” Mr Yousuf said.

“The records of around 40,000 pilgrims were previously maintained in paper form and have not yet been fully transferred to the central digital registry.”

The initial report, which said tens of thousands of pilgrims (zaireen) had not returned from trips to Iran and Iraq, was first floated by the minister himself as he announced a travel system overhaul.

To prevent future errors and enhance security, the Ministry of Religious Affairs launched a modern online registration system for all pilgrims travelling to Iran, Iraq and Syria.

The move is also aimed at curbing instances where individuals use the pilgrimage as a cover to migrate illegally to Europe through Turkiye.

Under the new system, tour operators must be officially registered, a practice similar to the one implemented by Saudi Arabia for Umrah pilgrimages.

“Under the new system, every pilgrim and group organiser will be issued a QR code for easy identification and coordination,” Mr Yousuf said.

He added that the government will now share complete pilgrim lists with authorities in Iran, Iraq and Syria ahead of travel.

“This proactive step will eliminate the possibility of any misunderstanding or propaganda regarding the movement of Pakistani pilgrims,” the minister said.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2025