ISLAMABAD, May 15 (EW): The first Hajj flights will depart from Islamabad and Karachi for Saudi Arabia on May 21 as the first batch of assistants will leave on May 17.
According to the ministry officials, last year, 80,000 people performed the pilgrimage while the number has now swelled to 175,000 this year. Federal Minister for Religious Affairs has feared that there would be hardships in the upcoming Hajj, as he instructed pilgrims to “be prepared for a difficult Hajj”, and added that the efforts were underway to reduce the hardships likely to be faced.
The federal government will pay 720 riyals on behalf of the Pakistani pilgrims for the holy sacrifice (qurbani). According to the details of the expenses, in 2019, buildings in Makkah were rented for 2,600 riyals and this year, that have been rented for 2,100 riyals. Travel cost was $1,000 in 2022 and it is $900 this year. As many as 26,000 pilgrims will be traveling from the federal capital. Every pilgrim will embark on the sacred journey after getting proper training, otherwise, their schedule would be rearranged. Along with this, every pilgrim will be given a SIM card in Saudi Arabia as well.
