Pakistan signs annual Haj agreement with Saudi

Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah signed here yesterday the annual Haj agreement for 1434/2013 with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Haj Bandar bin Mohammed Al-Hajjar. The agreement includes provision for a contingent of 1,790 Pakistan service officers and members of the medical mission to travel from Pakistan to help pilgrims. It was agreed that about 40,000 pilgrims will travel directly to Madinah from Pakistan. The first Haj flight will arrive in Saudi Arabia on Dhul Qa’da 1, 1434 (Sep. 7, 2013). The last Haj flight has to reach the Kingdom on Dhul Hijjah 4, 1434 (Oct. 9, 2013). Post-Haj flight operations will begin with the departure of the first flight from the Kingdom to Pakistan on Dhul Hijjah 14, 1434 (Oct. 19, 2013). It has been agreed that Haj visas will only be issued to pilgrims holding digital international passports. When they leave, pilgrims will be allowed to carry specially prepared Zamzam cans packed and supplied by the Two Holy Mosques Zamzam Project. Pakistan pilgrims will be allowed to travel to the Kingdom on all airlines licensed by the Saudi Arabian civil aviation authority. Shah said earlier this week that an expected 200,000 Pakistani pilgrims will come for Haj this year, up from the 180,000 initially approved. During their meeting, Shah praised the Saudi government for providing upgraded facilities for Umrah and Haj pilgrims. The minister was accompanied by a team of senior Pakistani officials including Chaudhary Mohammed Azam Samma, Secretary at the Ministry of Religious Affairs; Aftab A. Khokhar, Consul General of Pakistan in Jeddah; Shehzad Ahmad, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Religious Affairs; Syed Abu Ahmad Akif, Director General of Haj; Syed Rafeo Bashir Shah, Director Pakistan Haj Mission; and Bahrullah Hazarvi, Director in the Ministry of Religious Affairs. From Arab News