JEDDAH: The first batch of pilgrims from Indonesia and from Pakistan will arrive in Saudi Arabia on Monday. A total of 221,000 Indonesian pilgrims are coming for Haj this year, an increase of 11,000 compared to last year, according to Cahyono Rustam, Consul for Information, Social and Cultural Affairs at the Indonesian consulate. Rustam said Saturday that 197,500 pilgrims will be managed by the Indonesian government's Ministry for Religious Affairs, while the rest, some 23,500 pilgrims, will arrive with private Haj operators and travel agents. “The pilgrims will be transported by Garuda Indonesia and Saudi Airlines, on 490 flights. The Indonesian Haj Mission will deploy some 3,500 Haj support staff to serve the pilgrims in Jeddah, Madina and Makkah,” he said.He said the first wave of pilgrims, about half the total number, will first be accommodated in Madina, while the second wave will go directly to Makkah. The pilgrims will stay in Saudi Arabia for 41 days. “All preparations, especially housing, catering and local transportation, are already in place,” he said. Meanwhile Omar Khan Alisherzai, the ambassador of Pakistan, and Abdul Salik Khan, consul general, will receive the first Pakistani pilgrims at Jeddah's King Abdul Aziz Airport on Monday, Pakistani Press Consul Mohammed Tariq told Saudi Gazette. “This year, 160,000 pilgrims will arrive from Pakistan through the Haj Mission, and the first flight of doctors and Haj workers will arrive from Pakistan tomorrow,” he said.
