JEDDAH: A total of 160,000 pilgrims from Pakistan will come for Haj this year, 130,000 of them arriving on Pakistan International Airlines, Khurram Mushtaq, PIA General Manager, told Saudi Gazette. The airline is bringing pilgrims from Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Lahore and Sialkot, he said, adding that 24,000 pilgrims will travel on Saudi Arabian Airlines. The PIA office in Jeddah has had to call up 200 additional staff to handle the arrival and departure of pilgrims, he said. Those pilgrims who want to change their confirmed return bookings will have to pay an additional SR650. This condition has been enforced to prevent people from changing their flights without having a good reason for doing so, Mushtaq said. He said each pilgrim is permitted to have 30 kilograms of luggage. Anything over this amount will not be allowed. PIA is also allowing 10 liters of Zamzam water provided it is in a sealed plastic container. Mushtaq said the post-Haj operation will start from Nov. 21 and continue until Dec. 21. The last Haj flight will leave from Jeddah on Dec. 21 to Islamabad. A number of pilgrims met with Umar Khan Alisherzai, the Pakistani ambassador to the Kingdom, at the consulate in Jeddah recently. He urged pilgrims to contact Consul General Abdul Salik Khan or the Haj Directorate Office in Makkah if they have any problems. Sultan Shah, Director General for Haj, said all the buildings required for pilgrims have been hired and are a maximum of two kilometers from the Grand Mosque. A shuttle service will be available to transport pilgrims for the five daily prayers. The accommodation costs between SR3,000 and SR3,400 for each pilgrim. He said buildings at Madina have also been rented and 50 percent of the pilgrims will stay in the central area around the Prophet's Mosque. The remaining pilgrims will stay 700 meters away. This accommodation is for a 10-day stay. Pilgrims have also been promised that they will stay close to the Jamarat in Mina. Shah added that medical facilities are available and free treatment will be provided in Makkah. This will also be the case in Madina.There are 250 paramedics, 250 local residents and 250 Pakistani nationals working to care for pilgrims, he said.
