Chaudhry Salik, the Minister of Religious Affairs has gone to Saudi Arabia to check on Hajj plans. He’ll be Pakistan’s representative at a Hajj meeting in Makkah today.
The Minister and a top official will watch over the Hajj plans directly, said a spokesperson.
The flights for government-sponsored Hajj trips went smoothly, with the last group from Islamabad arriving in Jeddah today.
In the next two days, 20,000 private pilgrims will head to Saudi Arabia for Hajj. So far 70,000 pilgrims have gone through the private Hajj scheme. Pilgrims will leave for Mina on June 13 and 14. The Pakistan Hajj Mission has a camp in Mina to help.
Hajj permits cancelled for some who didn’t get mandatory vaccination
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced that it cancelled Hajj permits for some local pilgrims because they did not get the Neisseria meningitidis vaccine.
The ministry said on its platform that 90% of local pilgrims got the required vaccines to stay safe during Hajj.
The ministry wants the rest to get the Neisseria meningitis vaccine fast so their Hajj permits don’t get cancelled.
Also the Ministry of Interior said the Hajj Security Forces caught 21 people trying to take 61 pilgrims to Makkah without permits. They were caught on June 7 and included 13 citizens and eight expatriates.
They got penalties like jail time and fines. Their names will be in the news and expatriates will get deported after jail.
Director of Public Security Lt. Gen. Muhammad Al-Bassami said they caught more than 140 fake Hajj companies this year.
The Ministry of Interior wants everyone to follow Hajj rules for safety and comfort during Hajj.
