Pakistani state media reported that the first group of 720 Hajj pilgrims from Pakistan arrived in Jeddah on Friday, following the redirection of pre-Hajj flights from Madinah. Hajj, one of Islam’s five pillars, mandates that every financially and physically able adult Muslim undertake the pilgrimage to Makkah at least once in their lifetime.
These pilgrims traveled from Islamabad and Karachi under the Makkah Route initiative, arriving on Saudia airline flights at King Abdulaziz International Airport, as reported by the APP news agency. The first flight, SV-3705, with 370 passengers, landed at 5 a.m. local time, followed by flight SV-3727 with 350 passengers at 6:10 a.m.
The pilgrims were welcomed 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 facilitated the pilgrims’ swift transfer to their hotels, bypassing lengthy immigration queues, and their luggage was automatically delivered to their accommodations.
During 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.
Pakistan has a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims this year. Of these, 63,805 will perform Hajj under the government scheme, while the remainder will use private tour operators. The pilgrimage is expected to take place from June 14 to June 19.
