Sardar Yousuf says Hajj preparation in final stages

Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Sardar Muhammad Yousuf, has announced that around 90,000 pilgrims will perform Hajj this year under the government scheme, with flights beginning on April 29.

According to the Hajj policy for 2025, a total of 179,210 Pakistanis will perform Hajj. The quota has been split equally, giving 89,605 slots each to the government and private Hajj schemes.

Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, the minister said that preparations for Hajj are nearly complete. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will begin its pre-Hajj operations on April 29, with over 56,000 pilgrims expected to travel to Saudi Arabia on 280 flights.

These pilgrims will include 20,000 people utilizing the government Hajj scheme and 36,000 people performing pilgrimage through private Hajj operators. The PIA will use Boeing 777 and Airbus A320 planes for transportation of pilgrims.

After the Hajj, the PIA on June 12 will start its post-Hajj flight operation to bring back the pilgrims to Pakistan. This operation will continue till July 10.

The minister said that officers from the Ministry of Religious Affairs will be present at airports across the country to assist pilgrims during their departure.

He emphasized that special focus is being given to the training of pilgrims, to enable them to avoid difficulties in Saudi Arabia. “The Saudi minister of Hajj assured me that excellent arrangements have been made for this year’s Hajj,” he said.

Yousuf said the first phase of training has been completed, and the second phase of the training camp will start from April 8. Pilgrims should go prepared, and special focus is being given to training.

He said Hajj and Umrah are matters of faith, and any work done in this regard is considered an act of faith.

The minister said he had a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and that he was following his instructions.