ISLAMABAD – A Saudi delegation has arrived in Pakistan to assess the feasibility of introducing direct immigration processes for Hajj pilgrims at Karachi and Lahore airports, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced Wednesday.
The move comes as Pakistan aims to extend the ‘Road to Makkah’ Initiative beyond Islamabad for the upcoming Hajj season.
The Initiative, an integral part of Saudi Arabia’s Guests of God Service Program, aims to diversify the kingdom’s economy. Under this initiative, 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 inclusion of two additional airports in the Road to Makkah project marks a significant development,” stated the CAA.
“Saudi officials have arrived in Pakistan to evaluate direct immigration processes for Hajj pilgrims at Karachi and Lahore airports,” the statement added.
According to the CAA, Pakistani Hajj pilgrims will be spared the immigration process at Jeddah airport after completing the procedure at Lahore and Karachi airports under the initiative.
The Saudi delegation is set to inspect the Makkah Route Initiative arrangements at airports in both Karachi and Lahore in the coming days and is scheduled to arrive in Karachi on February 26th.
During their visit to Karachi, the delegation will hold meetings with officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Pakistan Customs, Airport Security Force (ASF), Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), and Immigration departments, as per the CAA.
Accompanying the delegation in Karachi will be Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki.
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.
The government had initially set December 12th as the deadline which was extended till December 22nd. 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.
