A 12-member high-level delegation of Saudi Arabia arrived at Karachi Airport to pace up the matter of immigration clearance for Hajj pilgrims in Karachi instead of Jeddah.

Federal Secretary for Religious Affairs and the Director of Hajj (Karachi) welcomed the ‘Road to Makkah’ Project delegation at Karachi Airport.

Saudi authorities will review to include Karachi Airport under. During Hajj, the immigration facility of Pakistani pilgrims at Karachi Airport will be reviewed.

Saudi authorities will conduct a survey for the immigration of pilgrims under the Road to Makkah project.

Earlier, Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf Saeed Al-Malki said pilgrims under the private Hajj scheme would also be included in the ‘Road-to-Makkah’ project.

Talking to caretaker Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Aneeq Ahmed, the ambassador pledged full cooperation to private Hajj companies.

Additionally, he mentioned that senior Saudi officials will visit Pakistan in the final week of February to finalise the ‘Road to Makkah’ project at the Karachi airport.

The minister and the Saudi ambassador discussed finalising arrangements for the Hajj 2024 and expanding the ‘Road-to-Makkah’ project during a meeting at the Saudi embassy.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Pakistan Hajj Mission are maintaining continuous communication with Saudi authorities to ensure timely completion of Hajj arrangements.

The minister added that in accordance with Saudi directives, applicants for the private Hajj scheme have been provided with additional facilities.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has formed a total of 146 Hajj-organising companies and their particulars are available at the ministry. The booking process for private Hajj pilgrims has already started.