Syed Abu Ahmed Akif, director general of Haj in Pakistan, with Consul General Aftab Khokher (left) and Press Consul Sohail Khan (right) during the press briefing at the Consulate General of Pakistan in Jeddah on Friday. — SG photo Syed Mussarat Khalil Saudi Gazette JEDDAH/MADINAH — The first group of Haj pilgrims from Pakistan will arrive at Prince Muhammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah on Sunday, officials said on Friday. They said another flight carrying the first group of Indian pilgrims from Mumbai would also arrive in Madinah on Sunday. Director of Madinah Airport Mohammad Al-Fadhil said all preparations were in place to receive the pilgrims. “We are expecting to receive 500,000 Haj pilgrims at the airport this year. We are more than ready to receive them. We have cooperated with public departments to ensure that all procedures are strictly followed,” said Al-Fadhil. There are over 7,000 employees and offices of eight government agencies at the airport ready to serve the pilgrims who will be flown in by 35 airline companies, Al-Fadhil said, adding that the Ministry of Haj would make arrangements to transport the pilgrims to Makkah. “We have taken steps to ensure that the waiting lounge at the airport is free from congestion. We have prepared the flight schedules taking maximum care to avoid clashes of arrivals, which will lead to congestion at the terminal gate. Our plan includes efficient crowd management, maintenance of all areas at the airport and security and custom control,” said Al-Fadhil. At a press conference held at the residence of Consul General Aftab Ahmed Khokher on Friday, Director of Pakistan's Haj Operations Syed Abu Ahmad Akif said the first Haj flight from the country would arrive in Madinah at 8 a.m. on Sunday. He said Shaheen Air Flight NL1234 departing from Karachi would carry 150 Pakistanis performing Haj under the government scheme. Another Shaheen Air flight carrying 360 pilgrims from Lahore will arrive in Madinah later in the day. The first flight carrying Pakistani pilgrims will land in Jeddah on Tuesday. The pilgrims will continue to arrive until Sept. 17, with the last flight arriving in Jeddah. Consul General Khokher, representing the ambassador of Pakistan who is not available because of other assignments, will receive the first groups of pilgrims in Madinah and Jeddah, said Akif. He said a total of 71,684 Pakistanis would perform Haj under the government scheme. They will be carried aboard 293 flights operated by Shaheen Air and Saudi Arabian Airlines from 10 embarkation points in the country. In addition to the pilgrims under the government scheme, 71,684 others will come through nearly 740 private Haj groups, bringing the total number of Pakistanis who will perform Haj this year to 143, 368. Pakistan has a quota of 179,210 pilgrims, but this number has been cut by 20 percent this year as well in view of the ongoing expansion work in the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Akif said a total of 137 buildings were rented for accommodating the pilgrims, who will each be charged SR3,000. The amount includes the costs of food and transportation within the holy cities. Catering companies have been hired to provide food to the pilgrims at their residences. In Madinah, the price of accommodation is fixed at SR600 per pilgrim for an eight-day stay. This year more than 75 percent of Pakistani pilgrims will stay in the central area of Makkah, Akif said. He said all Pakistani pilgrims under the government scheme would use the Mash'ir Train. To make the inter-city journey of the pilgrims more comfortable, arrangements have been made to utilize new buses of models 2013 and upward. In the return leg, the first flight carrying Pakistani pilgrims will leave Jeddah on Sept. 27 and the operations will continue until Oct. 28. Arrangements have been made to distribute Zamzam water at the airport for pilgrims to take home, Akif said. The Haj mission will deploy a 1,000-strong team of welfare staff to assist the pilgrims. The team includes a 450-strong medical mission. This is in addition to about 500 people hired locally to help the pilgrims. Consul General Khokher and Consul Press Sohail Ali Khan were also present at press briefing.
