Saudi Arabia approves 'Road to Makkah' initiative at Karachi airport

KARACHI - The government of Saudi Arabia has approved the expansion of the 'Road to Makkah' initiative for the pilgrims departing from Jinnah International Airport Karachi.

Well-placed sources confirm that the approval came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman okayed the establishment of the "Road to Makkah" project at the Karachi airport to help facilitate the pilgrims departing for Hajj in June this year.

The approval came after a two-member delegation from Saudi Arabia accompanied by Saudi Consul General in Karachi Faleh Al-Rehaili visited the Jinnah International Airport (JIAP) and inspected various sections of the facility.

The officials from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) briefed the delegation as the airport manager oversaw the comprehensive tour of the airport's facilities.

The delegation was shown the process Hajj pilgrims would go through which was examined by the Saudi team to remove any hindrances and improve the facilities. 

The Saudi Arabian delegation also met the Airport Security Force, Federal Investigation Agency, the Customs authorities and PCAA officials and held meetings with the technical teams to discuss the processing requirements and procedure.

“The delegation showed particular interest in the entry process for intending pilgrims and the allocation of immigration space. Other key points discussed were related to the allocation of immigration hall, private Hajj pilgrims, differentiating between government and private scheme pilgrims, among others," PCAA was quoted as saying by Geo News. 

The 'Road to Makkah' Initiative, an integral part of Saudi Arabia's Guests of God Service Program, aims to diversify the kingdom's economy and under this, pilgrims undergo immigration procedures at their respective countries' airports.

Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs had previously expressed intentions to expand the Makkah Route Initiative to airports in cities besides Islamabad, with Karachi notably in the spotlight; the facility is only available at the Islamabad International Airport at the moment.

According to the CAA, Pakistani Hajj pilgrims might be spared the immigration process at Jeddah airport after completing the procedure at Lahore and Karachi airports under the initiative for this year's pilgrimage.

As far as this year's Hajj is concerned, the total number of seats allocated to Pakistan for the upcoming Hajj is around 180,000 but these include the seats allocated to the private Hajj operators also.

To attract the applicants, the government had also permitted those who had performed Hajj in the last 5 years to apply for the upcoming Hajj. The authorities have introduced the Short Hajj package for the pilgrims while the Sponsorship Scheme is also valid for this year as well.

As far as the Long Hajj is concerned, it would encompass 38-42 days with 8 days stay in Medinah and those flying from the South region i.e. Karachi, and Sukkhur would have to pay Rs 10,65,000 while those from other cities i.e. Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Sialkot, Faisalabad would pay Rs 10,75,000.

For Sponsorship scheme applicants, the cost is $3765 for the South Region while it is $ 3800 for the North Region for those opting for the Long Hajj package.

For the Short Hajj package, the cost for regular Hajj applicants is Rs 11,40,000 for the South region while the cost is Rs 11,50,000 for the North region; the Hajj would continue for 20-25 days under this scheme.

For the Sponsorship Scheme, the cost for Short Hajj is $ 4015 USD for the South region and $ 4050 for North region. This year’s pilgrimage is expected to run from June 14 till June 19.