First flight carrying 328 Haj pilgrims leaves for Madina Munawara

ISLAMABAD: The first Haj flight of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) carrying 328 intending Haj pilgrims took off from Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad to Madina Munawara in late hours on Sunday.

According to details, Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf was present at Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad to see off the 328 intending pilgrims who would perform Haj under the government scheme.

On the occasion, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf asked the intending pilgrims to project positive image of the country by adopting good and disciplined behavior following the rules and regulation set by the government during the Haj process, he further added “I hope there will be no mismanagement in this year's Haj.

Nine more flights of intending Pilgrims from different cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, would also depart today.

The month-long pre Haj flights operation would culminate on August 26. A total of four airlines including PIA, Saudi Airlines, Air Blue and Shaheen Air would participate in the operation.

Hajj, the largest religious congregation of the Muslims, and Eid-ul-Azha are likely to be held in early September. Over 107,000 faithful from Pakistan are expected to perform Haj this year.