PIA to provide travel facilities to 35,000 Hajj pilgrims

Islamabad: An important agreement has been reached regarding Hajj flights next year, under which Pakistan International Airlines (PTI) will provide travel facilities to 35,000 government pilgrims.

According to the details, an agreement has been reached between the Ministry of Religious Affairs and PIA regarding Hajj flights. PIA CEO Air Vice Marshal Amir Hayat and Additional Secretary Religious Affairs Dr Syed Atta-ur-Rehman signed the agreement.

The Religious Affairs Spokesperson said that the agreement was signed yesterday at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and the national airline will provide travel facilities to 35,000 government pilgrims.

On this occasion, PIA CEO Air Vice Marshal Amir Hayat reiterated his commitment to providing the best facilities to the pilgrims and said that agreements with Saudi Airlines and other local airlines will also be reached soon.

It is pertinent to note that Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik Hussain officially announced the Hajj Policy 2025 two days ago.

Chaudhry Salik Hussain said that the Hajj quota under the government and private schemes is 50 percent and children below the age of 12 are not allowed to perform Hajj.

The Federal Minister for Religious Affairs stated that the Hajj arrangements were very good last year and they are preparing for this year too. In case of death, Rs2 million will be provided to the family of the pilgrim and compensation will also be paid to the injured one.

He added that they are introducing a system of installments for Hajj fee, prioritizing those going on Hajj for the first time. However, people who are sick and suffering from infectious diseases will not be able to perform Hajj this year.

Chaudhry Salik further said that they would make every effort to ensure that the quota is not returned. The remaining quota of the Sponsor Scheme will be transferred to general pilgrims, and the Hajj quota for overseas Pakistanis is set at 5,000.