Islamabad: Federal Secretary for Religious Affairs Dr. Ataur Rehman has said that 68,800 Pakistani pilgrims will perform Hajj this year under the ongoing government plan.
The Ministry of Religion and Interfaith Harmony has taken several steps to ensure a comfortable and convenient experience for Pakistani pilgrims during their Hajj, he told PTV News.
This operation will accommodate 34,300 pilgrims destined for Medina, while 34,500 will continue their journey to Mecca and land in Jeddah. The pre-Hajj flight operations will end on June 9.
Similarly, he said that Pakistani pilgrims will be given railway station tickets from Mashair day to Mina to Arafat, Muzdalifa and Jamarat.
Dr. Ataur Rehman revealed that this year, 63 percent of pilgrims will stay in Old Mina, which is strategically located along the main route and railway station, and 37 percent in New Mina.
In addition, rooms have been prepared in Medina to accommodate 100 percent of pilgrims in Markaziah.
The federal secretary said the ministry has introduced new initiatives to improve pilgrims’ experience, including the Short Hajj program, which accommodates 16,000 pilgrims for 20-25 days. However, the cost for this program can be quite high due to airline fees.
To streamline communication and facilitate pilgrims, the government has launched HajApp and mandated smooth communication and information on the smartphones of pilgrims. It will also provide pre-installed SIM cards to pilgrims including WhatsApp phones.
Standard bags of uniform size and color will be distributed to identify visitors and improve convenience.
Dr Ataur Rehman said the selection of Haj Assistants (Moavineen) was done transparently and efficiently through additional programs to monitor their performance.
To questions, he said that the pilgrims’ weekly menu during their stay in Mecca focuses on protein-rich foods such as beef, chicken and eggs, providing a varied and nutritious diet.
He replied to another question that apart from the pilgrims in the regular schedule, those participating in the private schedule will avail the ‘Road to Makkah’ facility at Karachi and Islamabad airports.
