First Haj flight with 327 pilgrims departs from Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: The first Haj flight under the government scheme with 327 pilgrims departed from Islamabad on Monday morning.

Federal Religious Affairs Minister Mufti Abdul Shakoor and Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf Bin Said Al-Malki were present at the Islamabad International Airport to see off the pilgrims.

According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs spokesperson, over 32,000 pilgrims will be flown to Saudi Arabia through 106 Haj flights. A total of 81,132 Pakistanis will perform Haj this year with 40% quota reserved under the regular Haj scheme.

The spokesperson said 42 flights would be operated from Islamabad under the Road to Makkah project. He said 2,331 pilgrims were leaving for Saudi Arabia in three flights each from Islamabad and Lahore and one flight from Multan on the first day of the Haj flights operation on Monday.

The pilgrims were being informed about the flights through website and SMS to their cell phones. The ministry has urged all Haj pilgrims not to enter the premises of Riaz-ul-Jannah in the Masjid-e-Nabvi without prior permission of Saudi authorities.

It said Saudi authorities had banned entry into Riaz-ul-Jannah without prior permission. There would be a heavy fine for entering Riaz-ul-Jannah without having permission from Saudi authorities. It advised the pilgrims to follow the procedure according to the directives of Haj Moawineen after reaching Madina.