ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia granted an additional Haj quota to Pakistan, allowing 10,000 additional pilgrims to perform Haj this year following a request by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
Taking to his X handle, DPM Dar expressed gratitude to the kingdom’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud for granting the additional Haj quota.
In his post, Dar revealed that the special arrangement was made following his telephonic conversation with Prince Faisal on April 9.
He thanked the Saudi foreign minister for his support and called him a “dear brother,” appreciating the gesture as a significant step towards strengthening bilateral ties and facilitating Pakistani pilgrims.
Earlier, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousuf said that as many as 90,000 Pakistani pilgrims are expected to perform Haj this year, under both government and private schemes.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Haj operation for 2025 is set to commence on April 29, according to officials. The first Haj flight under this year’s schedule will take off from Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, marking the beginning of the annual pilgrimage for thousands of Pakistani pilgrims.