Hajj preparation in final stages: minister

Sardar Muhammad Yousuf confirms Hajj flight to begin from April 29

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LAHORE:

Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousuf has announced that about 90,000 pilgrims will perform Hajj this year under the government Hajj scheme—with Hajj flights starting from 29th of this month.

As part of the 2025 Hajj policy, a total of 179,210 Pakistanis are set to perform Hajj this year.

The Hajj quota is divided equally, with 89,605 seats allocated to both the government and private Hajj schemes.

Speaking at a press conference in Lahore on Sunday about Hajj 2025 preparations, the minister said arrangements for Hajj are in their final stages.

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)—the national flag carrier—is going to start its pre-Hajj flight operation from April 29. During this massive exercise, more than 56, 000 pilgrims will be flown to Saudi Arabia through 280 flights.

These pilgrims will include 20,000 people utilizing the government Hajj scheme and 36,000 people performing pilgrimage through private Hajj operators. The PIA will use Boeing 777 and Airbus A320 planes for transportation of pilgrims.

After the Hajj, the PIA on June 12 will start its post-Hajj flight operation to bring back the pilgrims to Pakistan. This operation will continue till July 10.

The minister said that officers from the Ministry of Religious Affairs will be present at airports across the country to assist pilgrims during their departure.

He emphasized that special focus is being given to the training of pilgrims, to enable them to avoid difficulties in Saudi Arabia. "The Saudi minister of Hajj assured me that excellent arrangements have been made for this year's Hajj," he said.

Yousuf said the first phase of training has been completed, and the second phase of the training camp will start from April 8. Pilgrims should go prepared, and special focus is being given to training.

He said Hajj and Umrah are matters of faith, and any work done in this regard is considered an act of faith.

The minister said he had a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and that he was following his instructions.