JEDDAH — The Saudi government's decision to reduce each country's quota of Haj pilgrims by 20 percent due to the huge expansion projects in Makkah and Madinah has ensured those performing the pilgrimage can do so safely, said Pakistani Ambassador Muhammad Naeem Khan here on Monday. After welcoming the first batch of pilgrims that arrived from Pakistan, Khan said he was optimistic that pilgrims from his country had a good opportunity to perform their rituals comfortably due to the reduced number of pilgrims. Khan hoped that all pilgrims from Pakistan would concentrate on their pilgrimage and follow the rules and regulations of the Saudi government. He said the Haj Directorate in Jeddah would take care of the pilgrims in the holy sites. He praised the job fairs to help members of the community correct their status in the country if they needed to and the Pakistan Heritage Show in Riyadh. Khan said more fairs should be organized in the region and also in Madinah to help more people before a grace period for illegal workers to correct their status ends on Nov. 3. The ambassador said with the participation of Pakistani community he would organize a program in Riyadh on Saudi National Day, which falls on Sept. 23, to celebrate Pakistan's good relations with Saudi Arabia. He said details of the program would be announced soon. Answering a question about the Pakistani International School in Riyadh, he said the school was facing a space problem and many students could not be accommodated. Other Pakistani diplomats present at the event included Consul General Aftab A. Khokhar, Director General for Haj Syed Abu Akif and Press Consul Sohail Ali Khan, as well Pakistan Journalists Forum chief Amir Mohammed Khan.
