Pakistan’s new religious affairs minister discusses Hajj arrangements with Saudi envoy

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s newly appointed religious affairs minister Senator Talha Mehmood on Tuesday discussed the country’s ongoing Hajj arrangements and the Makkah Route Initiative with Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki.
The government is preparing to send 179,210 Pakistani pilgrims to the kingdom this year after the restoration of the country’s pre-pandemic quota by the Saudi authorities who also removed the upper age limit of 65.
According to an official statement issued after the meeting, the minister discussed the possibility of expanding the Makkah Route Initiative to other Pakistani cities for the convenience of official Hajj pilgrims.
The initiative allows pilgrims to fulfil all immigration requirements at the airport of origin, saving them several hours upon arriving in the kingdom.
“Special airport terminal will be handed over to Saudi officials for the Makkah Route Initiative on April 25,” the Saudi envoy was quoted as saying in the official statement. “The Saudi government will provide all possible cooperation to Pakistan.”
The Pakistani minister said he wanted to arrange best facilities for pilgrims as envisaged by his predecessor, Mufti Abdul Shakoor, who passed away in a road accident in Islamabad on Saturday.
He also praised the Saudi envoy for playing a “key role in bringing the people of the two countries together.”
Ambassador Al-Malki congratulated the minister for assuming his new responsibilities while calling him “a long-time and trusted friend of Saudi Arabia.”