First Group Of Pakistani Hajj pilgrims Has Reached Saudi Arabia

Pakistani state media announced that the initial group of 720 Hajj pilgrims from Pakistan arrived in Jeddah on Friday, following a change in pre-Hajj flight destinations from Madinah. Hajj, one of Islam’s five pillars, requires every financially and physically capable adult Muslim to make the pilgrimage to Makkah at least once in their lifetime.

Traveling under the Makkah Route initiative, these pilgrims departed from Islamabad and Karachi on Saudia airline flights, as reported by the APP news agency. The first flight, SV-3705, carrying 370 passengers, landed at 5 a.m. local time, followed by flight SV-3727 with 350 passengers at 6:10 a.m.

Read more: Saudi Arabia Prohibits Hajj for Visit Visa Holders

Upon arrival, the pilgrims were greeted by Abdul Wahab Soomro, head of the Pakistan Hajj Mission, Consul General Khalid Majeed, senior officials from Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, and representatives from the Saudi government. The Makkah Route initiative ensured a smooth transfer to their hotels, bypassing long immigration queues, and their luggage was directly delivered to their accommodations.

In the first phase of Pakistan’s pre-Hajj flight operations, 34,316 Pakistanis reached Madinah by May 23 via 146 flights. From May 24 to June 9, 114 flights will transport 34,422 Pakistanis to Jeddah.

This year, Pakistan has a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims. Of these, 63,805 will participate under the government scheme, with the rest using private tour operators. The Hajj pilgrimage is scheduled from June 14 to June 19.