The Pakistan government announced Sunday that 165,000 pilgrims from Pakistan will be performing Haj this year. Zaighamuddin Azam, Consul General of Pakistan in Jeddah, said, “Around 85,000 pilgrims come under the regular scheme and the rest 80,000 pilgrims will be managed by private tour operators.” Haj flights are expected to begin on Nov 3, 2008 and all Haj operations will end by Jan 13, 2009, he said. “The number of pilgrims has increased in the last five years,” said Azam. “Pilgrims who performed Haj in the last five years are not applicable unless they come as a Mahram (guardian) or as a group leader.” He further said there would be no different categories for accommodation. Haj expenses have increased by 45 percent this year. The standard expenditure for a pilgrim this year would be around PKR200,000 equivalent to approximately SR10,600. A total of 591 tour operators has been selected for Haj services this year. The Pakistan government selects operators on basis of their past experience, financial capacity and credibility. The selected operators then receive special training programs, Azam said. – SG __
