Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Talha Mahmood has left for Saudi Arabia to review arrangements made by Pakistani authorities for the country’s Hajj pilgrims in the Kingdom, the Pakistani Religious Affairs Ministry said on Monday. 

Hajj is an obligatory religious ritual for adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of carrying it out. It involves visiting the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah at least once in a lifetime and takes place during the last month of the lunar Islamic calendar called Dul Hijjah. 

This year, Saudi Arabia reinstated Pakistan’s pre-pandemic Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims and scrapped the upper age limit of 65 in January. About 80,000 Pakistani pilgrims are expected to perform the pilgrimage under the government scheme this year, while the rest will be facilitated by private tour operators. 

“Religious Affairs Minister Talha Mahmood will perform Umrah today,” the ministry said in a statement. 

“After performing Umrah, he will review (Pakistan’s) Hajj operation.” 

Mahmood would also meet Saudi officials as well as Pakistani pilgrims during the Hajj pilgrimage, the ministry added. 

More than 70,000 Pakistani pilgrims have reached Saudi Arabia so far while the remaining are scheduled to reach there by this next week, according to the ministry. 

Pakistan started the pre-Hajj flight operation to Saudi Arabia from different cities, including Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, on May 21 and it is expected to continue until June 21.