ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the Road to Makkah pilot project at the Islamabad International Airport on Friday moments before the first Pakistan International Airlines Hajj flight took off with pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.

Around 442 pilgrims departed from Islamabad’s airport on Friday evening. They were administered polio drops before Saudi immigration officers verified their travel documents and carried out identity checks.

On Thursday, Pakistan kicked off its national Hajj flights operation with a Saudi Arabia Airlines flight taking off from Islamabad International Airport with 350 pilgrims and another private airline flying out from Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport carrying 214 pilgrims.

On Friday, around 178 pilgrims from Pakistan’s financial hub of Karachi left for Hajj on an early morning Air Blue flight while 266 pilgrims flew out from Peshawar in the afternoon.

Appreciating Khan for taking out the time to greet Saudi immigration officers and pilgrims, Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf Bin Said al Malki told Arab News that Khan was pleased to “see this [Road to Makkak] project materialize”.

This year, 225,000 Pakistanis will perform Hajj, while around 22,000 pilgrims will get pre-departure immigration clearance at the Islamabad airport under the Road to Makkah project, which is aimed at facilitating Hajj pilgrims from across the Muslim world.

Pakistan was included in the project during a February visit to Islamabad by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, after which it was announced that all pilgrims traveling from Pakistan would be able to clear immigration at local airports in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar. Malaysia and Indonesia are also part of the project.

A Saudi immigration team that arrived in Islamabad earlier in the week had set up special counters at Islamabad airport to provide pre-departure immigration clearance to pilgrims. The facility is expected to be extended to other airports of the country in the coming years.

Shahzad Khalid, who was traveling for his first Hajj from Islamabad, praised the initiative of the Saudi crown prince and told Arab News he was very impressed with the new immigration process.

“I am so thankful to PM Khan and Saudi Arabia for offering this facility for Hajj pilgrims especially the luggage delivery right to the doorstep,” he said.