Islamabad: With the advent of this year’s Hajj season, Pakistani retail stores and businesses dealing in specialty Muslim pilgrimage accessories have reported a surge in sales despite inflationary trends and the Pakistani ruppee’s dramatic devaluation against the US dollar.

These shopkeepers credit their sudden peak in prosperity to the joint project of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Saudi crown prince Mohammad Bin Salman, the ‘Road to Makkah’ which is an initiative that aims to more smoothly facilitate the immigration of Pakistani pilgrims on their mandatory religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. Alongside this, an increase in the number of people allowed to make the pilgrimage from Pakistan, they say, has caused a significant increase in Hajj-related purchasing.

“Compared to last year, we are witnessing a business boom. The increase in Hajj quota (for Pakistanis), we see has brought more people to our store to purchase Hajj related items much before the Muslim pilgrimage has started,” Atif Shehzad, a store manager for Riyadh based Darussalam in Islamabad, which operates Islamic books and accessories’ stores in 28 countries told Arab News.

Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to inaugurate the Road to Makkah pilot project in Islamabad in the first week of July, an initiative mutually agreed upon and announced alongside the Saudi crown prince during his maiden visit to Pakistan in February.

“The joint initiative...has encouraged more people to perform Hajj and positively impacted business growth,” Hassan Tariq, another Islamabad based shop owner who sells a variety of Hajj accessories told Arab News.

For many, the initiative is cause for much relief. The Road to Makkah project looks to ensure that Pakistani pilgrims go through customs and immigration at Pakistani airports before departing for the Hajj, which will save them hours of waiting time and lengthy cross checks at Saudi airports once they land.

This week, it was revealed that a 51 member Saudi team will arrive in Pakistan on Sunday and remain for a period of two months to supervise the project.

Several Saudi officials are already present at Islamabad International airport, according to Ministry of Religious Affairs spokesperson Imran Siddiqui who said that the first phase roll out of the domestic immigration facility would later be extended to airports in other major cities.

Dr. Khalid Mehmood, a Pakistani pilgrim who hopes to perform Hajj this August, will be accompanied by his wife. For him, the increase in the Hajj quota and a Saudi facility allowing domestic immigration was a huge factor in encouraging him to make the pilgrimage this year.

“The ministry has given us a list of certain items we have to purchase and carry with us for Hajj,” he smiled while browsing the aisles at Darussalam.

“I am buying an ahram for myself and an abbaya for my wife,” he said.