Daily Times

Two planes of Saudi Airlines landed at the King Abdulaziz International Airport here on Friday morning carrying 720 intending Pakistani Hajj pilgrims from Karachi and Islamabad under the Road to Makkah Initiative, following the diversion of the pre-Hajj-flight operation from Madinah which concluded the other day.

As they stepped out of the planes, donning their Ihram and reciting the Talbiyah, their voices echoed with longing: “Labbaik Allahuma Labbaik (Here I am, O Allah, here I am!), Labbaik La Sharika Laka Labbaik (Here I am, no partner do You have, here I am), Inna Al-Hamda Wan-Ni’mata Laka Wal-Mulk (Indeed, all praise, grace, and sovereignty belong to You), La Sharika Lak! (No partner do You have).”

The first flight SV-3705, with 370 passengers on board, arrived by 5 a.m. (local time) and the second SV-3727 landed at 6:10 a.m. carrying 350 Hajj pilgrims.

Director General Jeddah/Head of Pakistan Hajj Mission Abdul Wahab Soomro, Consul General Khalid Majeed, senior officials of the Consul and the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and representatives of the Saudi government welcomed guests of the Allah Almighty.

The guests of Allah Almighty were greeted with a warm welcome, showered with rose petals and presented bouquets, drinks, dry fruits and a variety of dates.

The supporting staff of the Pakistan Hajj Mission was actively present at the airport to provide any kind of assistance to Pakistani Hajj pilgrims.

Under the Road to Makkah initiative, the passengers directly left their hotels avoiding long queues at the immigration counters, and their luggage was shifted automatically to their hotel residences.

In the first phase of the Hajj flight operation, a total of 34,316 Pakistanis reached Madinah by May 23 through 146 flights.

From May 24 to June 09, as many as 114 flights will be operating to airlift 34,422 Pakistanis from their major cities to Jeddah.