With the departure of Saudi Airlines’ final flight on Monday carrying 380 pilgrims from Pakistan, the Hajj flying operation from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia has concluded. According to the reports, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik Hussain expressed gratitude for the flying operation’s success before the Hajj.
According to the Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, the ministry’s unwavering efforts are what made the operation successful. According to Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Muslims worldwide consider the Hajj to be a religious obligation. He continued by saying that all amenities for pilgrims performing the Hajj would be provided.
The broadcaster reports that 160,000 pilgrims from Pakistan will complete the Hajj this year. According to the religious ministry, 70,000 pilgrims supported by the government attended the Pakistan Hajj Mission this year, while about 90,000 Pakistanis went through private travel operators to complete.
This year, the post-Hajj operation will start on June 20 and run until July 21. The Hajj operation ran from May 9 to June 10. Flights left from several cities across the nation, including Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, and Peshawar, on May 9, the first day of the pre-Hajj operation. Using Boeing 777 and Airbus A320 aircraft, over a thousand pilgrims left Pakistan for Saudi Arabia on the first day of the pre-Hajj activity through the PIA flights.
The final flight of the month-long pre-Hajj flight operation, which started on May 9 and carried about 70,105 people from major Pakistani cities to the holy cities of Madinah and Makkah as part of a government programme, arrived at King Abdulaziz International Airport Jeddah on Monday morning. A copy of the schedule is available with APP. It states that at 3 a.m. (PST), a Saudi Airlines SV-3727 carrying 380 passengers—the final group of Pakistani pilgrims travelling under government sponsorship—will depart Islamabad International Airport for Jeddah.
160,000 Pakistani pilgrims will do that this year as part of their religious duty; 70,000 will travel through the government programme, while another 90,000 will travel through private Hajj Groups Organisers (HGOs). According to official figures, around 63,321 pilgrims have already arrived in Saudi Arabia under the private programme. The remaining pilgrims are anticipated to arrive prior to the commencement of Hajj on June 14, which is the eighth day of Zilhajj. One of the five pillars of Islam, mandates that every adult Muslim who is able to do so financially and physically make the trip to Makkah’s sacred Islamic sites at least once in their lifetime.
Over 1.9 million pilgrims from around the world, including 160,000 from Pakistan, are anticipated to make in 2024 as the Saudi government completes preparations. The pilgrims will go on a once-in-a-lifetime spiritual trip, seeking forgiveness for their transgressions and invoke Allah’s blessings, thanks to the meticulous arrangements made by the Saudi authorities.
