JEDDAH, 15 December 2004 — Three family members of each Pakistani pilgrim who died in the last year’s stampede will perform Haj this year, according to a top official of the Pakistan Haj Directorate.

“Seventy-two family members of the twenty-four pilgrims killed in the stampede will perform Haj this year. The Saudi government will bear all the expenses, Director General of the Pakistan Haj Directorate Shahid Khan told reporters on Monday during a press conference in preparation for the Haj.

A total of 1,50,000 Pakistanis will perform Haj this year — 95,000 through the government, while the remaining 55,000 will perform Haj through private tour operators.

“Some 417 buildings have been hired to accommodate 95,000 pilgrims in Makkah, and most of them are between 800 to 1,400 meters from the Grand Mosque,” he said, adding all buildings are coded with Green and White and are linked with Geographical Information System (GIS). Rents of the buildings are cheaper this year compared to last year.

“A committee set up to hire buildings included Director General Haj Shahid Khan, Director Haj Bahrullah Hazarvi, Commercial Consul Hijab Gul and Deputy Director Haj Saddiq Sheikh.”

Buildings in Madinah have also been hired, he said, adding that 75 percent of the buildings meant for Pakistani pilgrims are within 700 meters of the Prophet’s Mosque.

All Pakistani pilgrims have been issued computerized passport and their details can be seen on a website that is linked with the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Islamabad, he said.

The directorate’s 50-bed hospital in Makkah is fully geared to serve pilgrims with its many facilities including male and female wards, an outpatient department, an operation theater and an ultrasound department. The medical staff will comprise 260 doctors and nurses.

Speaking about the arrangements, he said the directorate had divided the Makkah region into eight sectors, each equipped with a dispensary, ambulance service, information department and Internet facility.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, in cooperation with the Haj Directorate, has set up its own website to update information about pilgrims, he said.

Regarding lost pilgrims and their transportation from Makkah to Madinah, he said: “Approximately 500 servicemen will be on duty during Haj.

Half of them have been appointed in Pakistan while 250 local servicemen will be hired soon. Each of them will be provided with a mobile phone and gown — with the Pakistan logo embossed on it — so people can easily identify them.

“Tents for the pilgrims will be located in the Mina area according to Shariah,” he said adding that three-time meals will be provided to all pilgrims during their stay in Mina.

“Because of overwork, drivers sometimes sleep on the wheels, so to avoid traffic accidents a request has been made to the local administration to provide two drivers with a bus for travel to Madinah and Makkah. The buses should have toilets and should be linked with GIS system so that we can monitor their movement,” said Shahid Khan.

“Each pilgrim will be given a pamphlet which will guide him in performing Haj rituals with ease,” he said.

Answering a question about the pilgrims’ arrival, he said, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will be operating 496 flights to bring in 95,000 pilgrims.

Every day some 11 to 13 PIA flights will be reaching here during a 40-day period. The first Haj flight carrying 245 pilgrims from Islamabad will land at the Haj Terminal of King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah tomorrow.

Information regarding pilgrims can be obtained from www.hajjinfo.org.