RIYYAD –Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik Hussain has traveled to Saudi Arabia to oversee Hajj preparations.
According to the religious affairs spokesperson, Chaudhry Salik Hussain will also represent Pakistan at the Hajj symposium in Makkah Mukkarma.
The pre-Hajj flight operation under the government scheme was completed successfully today.
380 Hajj pilgrims arrived at Jeddah Airport via Islamabad flight 3727 bound for Saudi Arabia.
70,000 Hajj pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia as part of the private Hajj scheme. Under the private Hajj scheme, 20,000 Hajj pilgrims are expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia within the next two days.
A spokesperson stated that Saudi officials had completed all preparations for the five-day stay of Hajj pilgrims in Mina and Arafat. Hajj pilgrims will depart for Mina Valley between the nights of June 13 and 14.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the Pakistan Hajj Mission has established a camp office in Mina Valley.
The camp office will be outfitted with information, guidance, complaints, diseases, and death cells for Hajj pilgrims.
Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik Hussain and Federal Secretary Zulfiqar Haider will oversee the Hajj operation directly.
This year, 160,000 Pakistani pilgrims will make the pilgrimage, with 70,000 arriving through the government scheme and approximately 90,000 through private Hajj Group Organizers.
The Hajj is one of Islam’s five pillars and must be performed at least once by all Muslims who have the means.
It consists of a series of rituals performed over a minimum of four days in Mecca and its surroundings in western Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia announced that the Hajj will begin on June 14, after astronomical observatories spotted the crescent moon Thursday evening.
The highlight occurs on the second day, when pilgrims gather for prayers on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed delivered his final sermon.
That will happen on June 15 this year, and the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha will be on June 16, according to the SPA.
