Millions of Muslims, every year, arrive in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, while reciting and repeating “Labaik Allah Huma Labaik.” This sacred sight, unlike any other in the Muslim world, marks the Hajj pilgrimage, one of the biggest congregations and the holiest rituals in the Islamic world. The government of Saudi Arabia has launched many initiatives over the past decades to facilitate Muslim pilgrims coming to Makkah to perform Umrah and Hajj from different countries. A couple of such recent examples include the facility of E-Visa for Pakistani Umrah pilgrims, announced in April 2019 by the Saudi government, and the initiative of ‘Makkah Road’, launched at Jakarta Airport in Indonesia last year. The ‘Makkah Road’ initiative is aimed at providing fast track clearance to Indonesian Hajj pilgrims. Following the success of the initiative in Indonesia, the Saudi government, in collaboration with the government of Pakistan, has initiated a similar project named ‘Road to Makkah’ to facilitate Hajj pilgrims from Pakistan.
More About the ‘Road to Makkah’ Project
The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, officially launched the ‘Road to Makkah’ project at the Islamabad International Airport (IIA) on the 5th of July, 2019. The first flight took off from Islamabad under this initiative the very next day. A total of 51 Saudi officials, including a few immigration officers, are diligently facilitating Pakistan Hajj pilgrims by conducting pre-departure immigration process at several booths installed at Islamabad Airport. The Ministry of Religious Affairs in Pakistan has warmly welcomed and appreciated the ‘Road to Makkah’ project by the Saudi authorities for Pakistani hajj pilgrims.
How Is the ‘Road To Makkah’ Initiative Benefiting Pakistani Hujjaj?
Around 184,210 pilgrims from Pakistan will go to Makkah for performing Hajj this year, including 123,316 pilgrims who are availing the government hajj scheme. Since Pakistani Hujjaj will have already undergone the entire immigration process before their departure under the ‘Road to Makkah’ project, they will no longer need to stand in long queues at the customs clearance counters upon their arrival in Saudi Arabia. Instead, they will directly go to their buses, which will then take them to their respective hotels and accommodations. On top of that, the luggage of Pakistani Hujjaj will also be sent directly to their accommodations in Saudi Arabia.
Time Saving with ‘Road to Makkah’ Initiative
The first round of the ‘Road to Makkah’ initiative saw several immigration counters at Islamabad Airport processing immigration requests of hundreds of Pakistani pilgrims. The entire process was carried out in a matter of hours and the first batch of Hujjaj comprising 442 people left for Saudi Arabia breathing a sigh of relief knowing that they will not be required to queue up in the Kingdom. From stamping of pilgrims’ visas to the process of custom screening, everything was completed even before the pilgrims boarded their flight. This initiative alone will save up to 10-12 hours of the pilgrims and will also help them conserve their energy, which they will need during Hajj.
Currently, the ‘Road to Makkah’ initiative is only operational at the Islamabad International Airport (IIA). However, both Pakistani and the Saudi governments have planned and agreed to extend this initiative to all the major cities of Pakistan such as Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Quetta. Round 2 of the initiative will see Jinnah International Airport in Karachi becoming a part of the ‘Road to Makkah’ programme.
Highlights of Hajj 2019
As the Hajj season of 2019 kicks off in Pakistan and the rest of the world, the month-long pre-Hajj flight operation has also begun. The Ministry of Religious Affairs has arranged state-of-the-art facilities for food, transportation, and accommodation for thousands of Pakistanis Hujjaj availing the government’s hajj scheme 2019.
Flight Operations for Hajj 2019
Around 294 special flights have been tasked with taking over 70,000 Pakistani pilgrims to Saudi Arabia and back. Flights have already begun to depart from various cities across Pakistan including Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar, Sukkur, Multan, and Quetta to Saudi Arabia. The first phase of hajj flight operations officially began on the 4th of July 2019 and will come to rest on the 5th of August 2019. However, flights intended to bring Pakistani pilgrims back home will start their operations from the 17th of August 2019, with the operation reaching its end on the 14th of September 2019.
Pakistan International Airlines, which is the country’s national carrier, will be hosting these hajj flights and also provide pilgrims with special meals and around 5 litres of Aab-e-Zamzam (Holy Water) bottles during their journey to Saudi Arabia. Travellers will also be allowed to carry up to 35 kg of baggage for free. The hajj package offered by the government of Pakistan this year costs between PKR 3.4 lakh and PKR 3.5 lakh.
Returning of Funds to Hujjaj
According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Pakistan, every Pakistani pilgrim benefitting from the government’s hajj scheme 2019 will also see PKR 25 thousand to PKR 58 thousand being returned to them by the government. This amount will be based on the money saved during their journey between Makkah and Madina, and their accommodation, transportation, and food contracts. If everything goes according to the government’s plan, this will be the first time in the history of Pakistan that pilgrims will see some amount being returned to them by the government.
‘Road to Makkah’ Programme
As already mentioned, the ‘Road to Makkah’ project is the greatest highlight of Hajj 2019 for Pakistani pilgrims. Also, this is the first time that the Saudi government has extended the E-Visa facility as well as pre-departure immigration procedure to Pakistani Hajj pilgrims.
Staying Healthy During Hajj
It is imperative to stay healthy during Hajj. With millions of people gathering at one place, incidents of individuals falling sick during the annual pilgrimage is a common occurrence. However, with the help of certain preventive measures, you can take good care of your health during your entire Hajj journey and focus on the most crucial task at hand, getting close to your maker and seeking his mercy.
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