FAISALABAD:Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan bade farewell to the intending pilgrims at the airport here on Sunday with a piece of advice that they must behave with extreme responsibility at the hold land to project the soft image of Pakistan, as Muslims from all over the world would gather there for pilgrimage.
The maiden PIA Hajj Flight No PK-1341 from Faisalabad carrying 155 intending pilgrims departed for Saudi Arabia via Karachi at 9:10 a.m. and it would land in Madina Munawarah.
The minister said the Saudi interior minister visited Pakistan recently and informed the authorities concerned that his government had made the best arrangements for the auspicious event. Similarly, the Pakistani government had also improved the Hajj arrangements, he added.
He said, “The Road to Makkah project has been launched this year from Peshawar and Islamabad to provide immigration facility in Pakistan instead of their immigration on their arrival in Jeddah and other Saudi Arab airports”.
“Initially this facility was offered to 2,600 intending pilgrims, but on my request, the number was increased to 40,000. The next year, this project would be initiated from Karachi and other important cities of Punjab including Lahore and Faisalabad,” the minister added.
The Pakistan International Airlines would airlift approximately 3,500 passengers from Faisalabad Airport through 22 Hajj flights till June 16, 2023.
The interior minister also garlanded the intending pilgrims.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Faisalabad Ali Anan Qamar, Deputy Director Hajj Arif Zahoor Hussain, General Manager (GM) PIA Shafiq, Deputy Manager (DM) PIA Shahid Hussain, Airport Manager Anwar Zia Gujjar and others were also present.