ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has finalized arrangements to welcome intending Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, the Pakistani religious affairs ministry said on Tuesday, days before the start of the country’s month-long pre-Hajj flight operation.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and requires every adult Muslim to undertake the journey to the holy Islamic sites in Makkah at least once in their lifetime, if they are financially and physically able.
Pakistan has a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims this year. Of them, 63,805 pilgrims will be performing the pilgrimage under the government scheme, while the rest would be facilitated by private tour operators, according to the Pakistani religious affairs ministry.
“By the grace of Allah Almighty, we are optimistic to a great extent that our pre-Hajj arrangements will ensure a smooth Hajj operation,” said Ahmed Nadeem Khan, joint secretary and director of facilitation and coordination (F&C), at a media briefing.
He said they were making all-out efforts to make the annual Hajj operation hassle-free both in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
The ministry has introduced several new initiatives, including discounted long and short packages, complimentary uniform baggage with QR coding, and essential items like head scarf for women and ihraam belts for men, according to the official.
Additionally, a complimentary Hajj SIM card with data and minutes will ensure connectivity throughout the journey, and the mandatory Hujjaj app will help educate, track and assist pilgrims in performing Hajj rituals for a seamless pilgrimage.
Khan urged the Hajj support staff, including assistants, doctors and paramedics, to deliver their best in extending maximum facilities to the pilgrims, saying their performance would be minutely evaluated and no negligence would be tolerated.
He said the religious affairs ministry was gradually taking its Hajj operation to end-to-end automation and the launch of the Hujjaj app was part of it.
“We have completed 70-80 percent automation, and the rest will be done in due course,” the official said, adding that up to 90 percent of intending pilgrims have been communicated through the app information about their flights, accommodation, vaccination and visa approval.
Khan said over 8,000 Pakistanis had so far contacted the ministry through the app to discuss their issues regarding the spiritual journey, which have been cleared within no time and a few were at various stages of resolution.
Pakistan’s month-long pre-Hajj flight operation is slated to begin on May 9 to ferry pilgrims to the revered destinations.
This year’s pilgrimage is expected to run from June 14 till June 19.

ISLAMABAD: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party on Tuesday reiterated its call for a judicial probe into violent protests that hit Pakistan on May 9, 2023 over Khan’s brief arrest in a graft case.

Khan’s arrest saw hundreds of his supporters allegedly pour into the streets across the country, ransacking military and other properties. Thousands were arrested in the aftermath and some were tried by military courts after the authorities promised to bring the perpetrators and instigators of the violence to justice.

The PTI says the May 9 incident was a “false flag operation” and the subsequent crackdown was aimed at keeping Khan, who was ousted from power in a parliamentary no-trust vote in April 2022, and his party from returning to power in Pakistan’s national election held in February this year, after being delayed for months.

Asked about the claims, a Pakistani military spokesman said on Tuesday the May 9 incident was not related to the military alone, but to the whole of Pakistan, noting that the protesters had attacked military installations, burnt the residence of the founder of Pakistan and vandalized martyrs’ monuments.

The spokesman, Maj-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said the perpetrators and facilitators of the riots needed to be brought to justice as per the constitution and law of the land to preserve the credibility and faith in the country’s justice system.

“See, all this what he has said, we challenge him on these things that all what he is saying, its proofs should be brought before the people,” Raoof Hasan, the PTI information secretary, said at a press conference.

“And the easiest way for that is, what we started demanding immediately after May 9, that an independent, transparent judicial inquiry be instituted, which established who committed the crime and who were behind them.”

Last week, the PTI also issued a circular and urged party members to hold rallies in every provincial assembly constituency to commemorate the May 9 protests, citing directives from Khan who has been in jail since August last year.

Khan, 71, was ousted in 2022 after falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military leaders who many say backed him into power in 2018. In opposition, he waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the military establishment which has directly ruled the South Asian nation for nearly half of its history.

Arguably Pakistan’s most popular politician, Khan says the cases against him are “politically motivated,” aimed at keeping him from returning to power. The military denies it.