Duran leads Al Nassr past Yokohama Marinos into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Al Ahli cruise past Buriram into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Arabia offers condolences to Iran following deadly Bandar Abbas port explosion    Saudi Arabia welcomes Palestinian leadership reforms, appointment of Hussein Al-Sheikh    Ministry of Hajj issued over 150,000 Nusuk cards for the Hajj of 2025    Saudi Arabia deports 12,866 illegal residents in a week    Pope Francis laid to rest at historic funeral in Rome    Massive explosion at Iran's Shahid Rajaee Port injures over 500 people    SFDA clears first 44-ton medical shipment for Hajj pilgrims    Over 13 million worshipers pray at Rawdah Sharif in a year    Saudi orchestra to perform at Sydney Opera House in May    Al Hilal thrash Gwangju to reach AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Nammos Amala Resort to open soon with Saudi-Greek designs    Saudi Arabia completes 674 Vision 2030 initiatives, achieves 93% of KPIs as ninth-year milestone marked    GACA chief chairs 16th meeting of the Steering Committee on aviation's strategy    Alkhorayef praises advancements in Al-Kharj food industries sector    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rises to78.8 years    Famed Philippine film star Nora Aunor dies at 71    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Makkah Route initiative launched at Pakistan airport for the first time
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 04 - 07 - 2019


Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — Pilgrims for the upcoming Haj have started arriving in Saudi Arabia from Pakistan.
In the first Haj flight from the country, an Air Blue plane carrying 212 pilgrims, who are performing the Haj under the government scheme, reached Prince Muhammad International Airport in Madinah on Thursday.
Pakistan's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Raja Ali Ejaz and Director General Haj Sajid Yousufani welcomed the pilgrims at the airport.
Meanwhile, a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight arrived at the Madinah airport from Islamabad on Thursday carrying 367 pilgrims who represented the first batch pilgrims from Pakistan traveling for Haj under the Makkah Route initiative.
Yousufani and other officials welcomed the pilgrims at the airport.
The Saudi authorities have made elaborate arrangements for the pilgrims traveling under the project, which is being introduced in Pakistan for the first time this year.
Under the Makkah Route initiative, immigration procedures in Saudi Arabia are completed at the pilgrims' respective embarkation points in their home countries. The pilgrims with immigration pre-clearance can leave for the holy cities immediately upon arrival at the Saudi airports like domestic passengers without waiting for the immigration procedures.
Head of the Special Saudi Delegation and Director General of Passports Maj. Gen. Sulaiman Al-Yahya, Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf Bin Saeed Al-Maliki and a number of Saudi officials were in Islamabad to oversee the arrangements.
Pakistan's Minister for Religious Affairs and Inter-faith Harmony Noor-ul-Haq Qadri and Minister of Aviation Division Ghulam Sarwar Khan were at the Islamabad airport to see off the pilgrims.
Sarwar Khan delivered the speech in which he praised the deep-rooted historical relationship between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
He praised the Kingdom's efforts in launching the Makkah Route initiative, which is being applied for the first time in Pakistan this year.
For his part, Qadri in his speech praised the great care being provided for Pakistani pilgrims throughout the year, whether traveling for Haj or Umrah. He expressed his thanks and gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman for their great services to Islam and Muslims, including their efforts in the service of the Two Holy Mosques and the visitors of the holy houses from all over the world.
Al-Malki said the inauguration of the Makkah Route Initiative in Pakistan was a great achievement in the host of services being provided by the Kingdom to the pilgrims within the framework of the Saudi leadership's keenness to serve Islam and Muslims.
In a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Al-Maliki praised the level of services offered by Makkah Route Initiative to pilgrims in the five countries, including Pakistan, coming under the scheme this year.
He said that this initiative has contributed to facilitating pilgrims' travel to the Kingdom to perform Haj rituals with the participation of a number of government agencies in order to improve services being provided for pilgrims and to consolidate the Kingdom's pioneering roles in serving Muslims from all over the world.
A total of 21,831 Pakistani pilgrims will be traveling to Saudi Arabia aboard 72 flights under the initiative.
Saudi Arabian Airlines will ferry as many as 11,485 Pakistani pilgrims aboard 35 flights. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the country's flag carrier, will transport 7,390 pilgrims aboard 23 flights while 2,956 pilgrims will reach Saudi Arabia by 14 flights operated Air Blue. All these flights will depart from Islamabad.


Clic here to read the story from its source.