ISLAMABAD: Over 8,300 Pakistani pilgrims departed from Madinah for Makkah on Saturday to complete the rituals of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, the religious affairs ministry said.
The first Pakistani pilgrims arrived in Madinah, the second holiest city in Islam after Makkah, on June 6. The last flight from Pakistan in this year’s Hajj season arrived in Madinah on Wednesday.
“Over 8,300 pilgrims who stayed in Madinah for eight days as part of the Pakistan government’s Hajj scheme have left for Makkah,” Muhammad Umar Butt, spokesperson of the Religious Affairs Ministry, told Arab News.
Butt said departure arrangements for all Pakistani pilgrims who travelled to Madinah under the government’s Hajj scheme will be completed by Friday. After performing the Hajj, the pilgrims will return to Pakistan directly from Makkah, he said.
One of Islam’s five main pillars of faith, the Hajj was restricted over coronavirus fears to just 1,000 people residing in Saudi Arabia in 2020. Last year, the Kingdom limited the pilgrimage to 60,000 domestic participants, compared with the pre-pandemic 2.5 million.
This year, as it has already lifted most of its COVID curbs, the Kingdom will welcome 1 million pilgrims from abroad. All of them must be under the age of 65 and fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Pakistan’s pilgrim quota is of 81,132. They are availing the Makkah Route initiative of Saudi Arabia, through which immigration procedures are handled at their airport of origin.
