ISLAMABAD: More than 44,000 Pakistani pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for Hajj 2026 as the country’s pre-pilgrimage flight operation continues, Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry said on Thursday.
Pakistan is among the world’s largest contributors of Hajj pilgrims each year, with tens of thousands traveling to Saudi Arabia under both government and private schemes during one of the world’s biggest annual religious gatherings.
“So far, 44,908 pilgrims have reached Saudi Arabia through 176 Hajj flights,” a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs said in a statement.
According to the ministry, 33,020 Pakistani pilgrims are currently in Makkah while another 11,888 are staying in Madinah.
Officials said another 2,850 pilgrims were expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday through 14 additional flights.
The ministry said Pakistan’s Hajj flight operation would continue uninterrupted until May 21.
The ministry said accommodation, food, transport and medical services were being provided to Pakistani pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, while mobile SIM services included in Hajj packages were helping pilgrims remain in contact with families back home.
The statement added that pilgrims already in Makkah were engaged in voluntary Umrah pilgrimages, prayers and visits to holy sites ahead of the formal start of Hajj rituals later this year.
Saudi Arabia hosts millions of Muslims annually for Hajj, one of Islam’s five pillars that must be performed at least once by every able-bodied Muslim with the financial means to undertake the journey.
Pakistan was allocated a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims for 2026 under an agreement signed earlier with Saudi authorities.
