KARACHI:
Over 160,000 Pakistani pilgrims have successfully completed their Hajj pilgrimage and will start heading back home on Thursday (today).
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is set to bring back the first group of pilgrims to Pakistan. The national carrier will facilitate the return of over 35,000 pilgrims through 171 flights.
As part of the post-Hajj operations, PIA’s special flights will transport pilgrims from Jeddah and Medina to various cities in Pakistan, including Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Multan, Sialkot, Peshawar, Sukkur, and Quetta.
For Karachi, the first national airline flight is scheduled to land at Jinnah International Airport at 1:40 pm today.
According to sources, PIA and three private airlines will operate post-Hajj flights. PIA, Serene Air, Airblue, and Air Sial’s flights will reach Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and Multan.
On the first day of the post-Hajj operation on Thursday, over 2,000 pilgrims will return to various cities.
According to PIA officials, three flights arriving today will bring back 850 pilgrims to Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad.
The flight operations will continue until July 21, while the remaining 125,000 pilgrims will return via domestic and international private airlines.
On Tuesday, pilgrims completed the stoning of the jamarat and performed the Farewell Tawaf, marking the end of this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.
Pakistan had a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims this year. Out of these, more than 70,000 performed the pilgrimage under the government scheme, while the remainder travelled with private tour operators.
