ISLAMABAD: The religious affairs ministry said on Friday 26,000 Pakistani Hajj pilgrims had benefited from the Makkah Route Initiative last year, with the government planning to double the figure this year with the inauguration of the project in Karachi. 

Pakistani officials last month confirmed Saudi Arabia’s decision to expand the Makkah Route Initiative, previously available only in Islamabad, to the airport in Karachi, the country’s largest and most populous city. 

Launched in 2019, the Makkah Route Initiative allows for the completion of immigration procedures at the pilgrims’ country of departure, making it possible to bypass long immigration and customs checks on reaching Saudi Arabia. The facility significantly reduces waiting times and makes the entry process smoother and faster.

“Last year, the count of pilgrims utilizing the ‘Route to Makkah’ stood at 26,000 while this year, concerted efforts have been made to double the number of Pakistani Hajj pilgrims benefiting from this streamlined process,” state-run APP news agency said, quoting Secretary Religious Affairs Zulfiqar Haider, who alongside Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Pakistan, formally inaugurated this year’s ‘Route to Makkah’ project at the Islamabad International Airport on Friday.

“Saudi immigration and customs procedures for Hajj pilgrims departing from Islamabad would now be efficiently conducted in Islamabad itself,” Haider said. 

“Consequently, these pilgrims would swiftly navigate through the Saudi airport and proceed to their destinations without delay.”

This year, around 179,210 Pakistanis will perform Hajj under both the government and private schemes, for which a month-long flight operation started on May 9. 

Out of 179,210 pilgrims, 89,605 each will embark on the holy journey under the government and private schemes, while a quota of 25,000 and 44,802 pilgrims, respectively, has been allocated to the sponsorship schemes.

Under the Hajj flight operation, five airlines – Pakistan International Airlines, Saudi Airlines, Airblue, Serene Air, and Air Sial – will operate 259 sorties to transport around 68,000 intending pilgrims from eight major cities of Pakistan, namely Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Quetta, Sialkot, and Sukkur, to Jeddah and Madinah under the government scheme.

The first set of Hajj flights took off on Thursday early morning.