Special Hajj flights to start from 13th
By Khalid Amin

ISLAMABAD—Special Hajj flights, for airlifting 160,000 intending pilgrims to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia will start with the departure of special Hajj flights from November 13.
“The special Hajj flights will simultaneously depart for Jeddah from Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar,” official sources in the Ministry of Religious Affairs said on Wednesday.
According to sources, the flight schedule is being finalized by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) adding, the intending pilgrims will be intimated about their flights as soon as the Ministry receives the schedule.
A total of 159,588 pilgrims will perform Hajj from Pakistan this year out of which 79,500 will be sent for pilgrimage under the government scheme.
The Ministry has already arranged residential accommodation for the pilgrims in Makkah and Madina. There are two White and Green categories of accommodation in Makkah based on distance from Haram Sharif and condition of building.
The White category buildings are at distance of upto 1500 metres while Green category buildings at distance of 1300 metres. About training programme, the sources said the master trainers from the teaching faculties of Arabic and Islamic Studies Departments of the Universities and the experienced master trainers, working on voluntary basis, are imparting training to pilgrims upto tehsil level.
The provincial governments are also providing all the necessary facilities for training programme. Pakistan Television and Radio Pakistan are also running special programmes on Hajj.
Updated CDs on Hajj will be made available in the Haji camps at a nominal price for the benefit of the pilgrims.
Hajj booklets Anwar-e-Harmain and Aamal-e-Hajj will be provided to the pilgrims before their departure to enable them to prepare for Hajj.