ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government has increased its medical and technical staff in Saudi Arabia as over 55,000 Hajj pilgrims arrived in the Kingdom, the religious affairs ministry said on Sunday.
Around 4,077 Pakistani pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia during the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) said. It added that the total number of Pakistani pilgrims that have reached Saudi Arabia, both under the government and private schemes, has reached 56,277.
“The number of medical and technical staff has increased from 438 to 467,” MoRA said in a statement.
It added that a total of 1,259 support staff and assistants for Hajj pilgrims have been deployed to serve and guide them there.
“Of the total pilgrims, 80 percent are in Makkah and 20 percent in Madinah,” the ministry said.
MoRA said the number of buses in Makkah has also increased in proportion to the growing number of Hajj pilgrims arriving in the city, as the pilgrimage gathers pace.
Pakistan is among the largest contributors of Hajj pilgrims, with tens of thousands traveling to Saudi Arabia each year under both government and private schemes.
This year, Pakistan is expected to send over 179,000 pilgrims to the Kingdom for the annual Islamic pilgrimage.
Islamabad has said the country’s pre-Hajj flight operation is expected to continue uninterrupted till May 21. The pilgrimage is expected to be performed in the last week of this month.
