Saudi Arabia grants additional Hajj quota to Pakistan

Saudi Arabia granted an additional Hajj quota to Pakistan, allowing 10,000 additional pilgrims to perform Hajj this year following a request by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

Taking to his X handle, DPM Dar expressed gratitude to the kingdom’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud for granting the additional Hajj quota.

In his post, Dar revealed that the special arrangement was made following his telephonic conversation with Prince Faisal on April 9.

He thanked the Saudi foreign minister for his support and called him a "dear brother," appreciating the gesture as a significant step towards strengthening bilateral ties and facilitating Pakistani pilgrims.

Earlier, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousuf said that as many as 90.000 Pakistani pilgrims are expected to perform Hajj this year, under both government and private schemes.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Hajj operation for 2025 is set to commence on April 29, according to officials.

The first Hajj flight under this year’s schedule will take off from Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, marking the beginning of the annual pilgrimage for thousands of Pakistani pilgrims.

As per officials, the first flight, ER 1611, will depart for Madinah Munawwarah at 10:15pm on April 29. The flight will carry 285 pilgrims.

In the initial phase of the operation, all flights will be directed to Madinah Airport. From May 14 onwards, flights will start departing for Jeddah Airport.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs approved the complete flight schedule, which will be accessible via the Pak Hajj mobile application from today. Under the government Hajj scheme, 89,000 pilgrims will travel through five designated airlines.

Religious Affairs Minister Yousuf had also clarified that the temporary visa suspension for Umrah and other categories, recently imposed by Saudi Arabia on 14 countries, including Pakistan, is a routine move in the lead-up to Hajj.

The suspension is expected to be lifted by mid-June, with Umrah visa holders advised to return to Pakistan by April 29.

As part of health and safety protocols, pilgrims are required to get vaccinated at their designated Haji camps at least ten days before their scheduled departure. The second phase of Hajj training for pilgrims is also set to begin on April 8.

Meanwhile, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced that it will operate 280 special pre-Hajj flights from April 29 to June 1, transporting more than 56,000 pilgrims. PIA will utilise Boeing 777 and Airbus A320 aircraft to ensure a comfortable journey. The post-Hajj operation will begin on June 12 and continue until July 10.

This year, the cost of Hajj packages has been reduced. The 40-day package now costs Rs1,050,000, following a Rs25,000 cut, while the 25-day short package has seen a Rs50,000 reduction, bringing the total to Rs1,100,000.