https://arab.news/8tya8
- The new system allows pilgrims to complete vaccination, training and document collection in one day
- Over 38,000 Hajj pilgrims will depart via Islamabad this year, including those from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has introduced a single-visit facility for Hajj pilgrims at Islamabad Haji Camp that allows them to complete vaccination, training, document collection and other formalities in one day, an official said on Monday, in a move aimed at easing the pre-Hajj departure process.
The South Asian country is expected to send 179,210 pilgrims for Hajj this year, with over 119,000 due to travel under the government’s scheme and the rest via private operators.
Of them, more than 38,000 pilgrims are expected to depart through the Islamabad gateway this year, with around 12,000 having already flown to Saudi Arabia as of Tuesday morning.
Officials say the new system at Islamabad Haji Camp marks a significant improvement over previous years, when Pakistani pilgrims had to visit the camp multiple times.
“Previously pilgrims had to make three visits to get these facilities. But this year, all these formalities are completed in one visit,” Allah Ditta, a deputy assistant director at Pakistan's Directorate of Hajj, told Arab News.
The services being provided under one roof include vaccination, medicine packing, training sessions, distribution of giveaway items and delivery of travel documents through respective airlines, according to the official.
The initiative is designed to reduce inconvenience and streamline logistics for pilgrims.
Islamabad Haji Camp has also become a central departure point for pilgrims from Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province since the implementation of the Makkah Route Initiative in the Pakistani capital in 2019.
The initiative enables pilgrims to undergo immigration and customs clearance in Pakistan, allowing them to bypass lengthy procedures upon arrival in Saudi Arabia and travel directly to their accommodation in Makkah or Madinah.
“All the pilgrims belonging to KP province also travel from Islamabad gateway [now],” Ditta said.
The pilgrims at Islamabad camp expressed satisfaction with the arrangements.
“So far everything was good, and we got everything online. Now we are looking forward to observing facilities there [in Saudi Arabia],” said Huma Aslam, a pilgrim who is going to perform Hajj for the first time along with her husband and daughter-in-law.
Bilal Ahmad, who recently returned from Abu Dhabi to perform Hajj, said his experience has so far been smooth.
“We have recently come to Pakistan from Abu Dhabi as we have planned to go on Hajj. I am going with my wife,” he said, while receiving his free travel bags at the Haji camp.
"God willing it will be very good."
Pakistan’s Hajj operation is currently underway, with flights continuing in phases to transport pilgrims to Madinah and Makkah. The annual pilgrimage is expected to fall within the last week of May.