ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will commence its post-Hajj flight operation to repatriate pilgrims from Saudi Arabia today, Sunday, according to a statement by the religion ministry days after the annual Islamic spiritual pilgrimage concluded.
The Hajj concluded on Friday after pilgrims returned to the Grand Mosque in Makkah and performed farewell Tawaf, the circumambulation of the Holy Ka’aba, after spending days offering prayers and engaging in the remembrance of the Almighty.
Pakistan started the pre-Hajj flight operation under the government scheme from different cities, including Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad, on May 21. The pre-Hajj flight operation ended on June 22, following which preparations for the post-Hajj flight operations began.
“Pakistani Hajj pilgrims’ return to the country would begin from tomorrow, July 2,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony said in a statement on Saturday. “The first three flights from Jeddah airport, carrying 693 Hajj pilgrims, will return to the country on Sunday.”
The first three Hajj flights would arrive at Karachi, Faisalabad, and Islamabad from Jeddah, the ministry said, adding that the Hajj flight operation would continue from Jeddah till July 20.
The ministry said that the departure of Pakistani pilgrims from Makkah to Madinah would begin on July 5, adding that a total of 38,000 pilgrims would be shifted to Madinah.
“The last Hajj flight from Madinah would return to Pakistan on August 2,” the ministry said.
According to Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), 26,000 Hajj pilgrims traveled this year through the Makkah Route Initiative, which allows pilgrims to fulfill all visa, customs, and health requirements at the airport of origin, saving long hours of waiting.
This year, Saudi Arabia relaxed coronavirus restrictions by restoring Pakistan’s pre-pandemic Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims. The kingdom has also scrapped the upper age limit of 65 years to perform the Hajj.