Saudi Gazette 

 

JEDDAH – Nearly one-fourth of foreign pilgrims who have come to perform Haj this year are from the Indian Subcontinent. Pakistan tops with 143,368 pilgrims out of the total 378,200 that include pilgrims from India and Bangladesh. Pakistan’s Office of Pilgrim Affairs in Makkah has swung into action to render the best possible services for pilgrims. It has mobilized a huge contingent of about 1,600 staffers to look after the welfare of the pilgrims as well as to enable them performing their rituals in ease and comfort.

 

The official delegation of Pakistan, led by Akram Ansari, member of the National Assembly, arrived in Madinah on Sunday. 

 

Consul General Aftab A. Khokher told Saudi Gazette that all preparations are well in place and things are going very smoothly. He said that the country’s Senate Chairman Nayyar Hussain Bukhari and five parliament members have joined more than 143,000 pilgrims for the Haj. “Bukhari and other leaders arrived in Madinah on Sunday on board the last Haj flight that touched down the Madinah airport. This year, we facilitated the customs procedures at embarkation points in Pakistan and that was found extremely comfortable for pilgrims,” he said. The Pakistani Haj pilgrims are enjoying maximum comfort and easiness for this year’s Haj, thanks to the well-planned and nicely implemented Haj operation plan, according to Khokher.

 

He thanked the Saudi authorities for the best ever services and facilities readied for the pilgrims at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah as well as at the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah.

 

Syed Abu Ahmed Akif, consul and director general of Haj affairs, said, as of Friday, 109,910 pilgrims arrived in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. A total of 56,684 pilgrims are performing Haj under the official government scheme while another 86,684 pilgrims come through nearly 730 private Haj organizations. Of government pilgrims, 29,265 have finished Madinah Ziyarah while 20,562 others will leave shortly for Makkah after visiting Madinah.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Saudi Arabian Airlines and Shaheen Air International (NL) are transporting the pilgrims. A total of 191 flights are transporting government pilgrims from the gateways of Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Faisalabad, Sukkur, Sialkot and R.Y. Khan. More than 300 flights are being operated to carry private pilgrims.

 

Akif said elaborate arrangements have been made as part of the Mission’s Haj operation plan. “We have deployed as many as 1,598 welfare staff, including 311 Haj assistants (Moavineen-e-Hujjaj), 429 local assistants (Khuddam) in Makkah, and 130 in Jeddah and Madinah. Our medical mission is also offering flawless services to pilgrims.”

 

According to Akif, a total of 67,938 outdoor patients received treatment from the branch dispensaries. So far, 283 pilgrims were admitted in the Mission’s hospital, of whom 259 were discharged while 86 others were referred and admitted to Saudi hospitals. Sixty pilgrims were discharged from hospitals. A total of 27 pilgrims died, and they included15 private pilgrims, he added.