ISLAMABAD: Around 173,000 pilgrims from Pakistan have reached Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj this year, Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs said in an official handout on Sunday.

These include “117,000 under government quota and 56,000 using services offered by private tour and Hajj operators,” the ministry said giving further details. 

The last of specially-designated flights for Hajj will leave for Saudi Arabia on Thursday, with the year’s remaining passengers from Pakistan en-route to the annual Muslim pilgrimage.

For the 200,000 Pakistani citizens who will perform the Hajj this year, flights started on July 4, with a model pre-departure immigration facility at Islamabad airport in the country’s capital city. 20,000 people benefitted from the facility with a dedicated team on ground from Saudi Arabia, as well as Pakistani officials overseeing the travel documents of Hajj pilgrims.

The pre-immigration pilot program is part of the “Road to Makkah” project initiated by Saudi Arabia at the request of Prime Minister Imran Khan. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the project would extend to Pakistan during his historic visit to Islamabad in February 2019.

The initiative aims to facilitate Hajj pilgrims and make for a smoother departure and arrival process, with quicker clearance facilities which save up to ten hours of waiting time after arrival in Saudi Arabia.

With the Hajj only days away, a majority of pilgrims from Pakistan and elsewhere are already present in Saudi Arabia with all preparations for their health and safety in place.

To ensure things were in order, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, visited a Pakistani Hajj mission’s health facility in the holy city of Madinah on Saturday, a statement from the ministry said.

Last week, Pakistan’s director general for the country’s Hajj mission, Dr. Sajid Yousfani, told Arab News in Jeddah that the mission was “getting full support and co-operation” from Saudi officials to facilitate Pakistani Hajj pilgrims.