Saudi officials due on Monday to review 'Road to Makkah' arrangements

ISLAMABAD: A 14-member delegation from Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry is due in Islamabad on Monday to review arrangements related to ‘Road to Makkah’ project.

The project is initiated to assist Hajj pilgrims wherein all immigration requirements will be fulfilled at the airport of origin.

At present, the facility is only available at Karachi airport where pilgrims go through the immigration and customs checking once and then they would not have to pass through the same process after landing at airports in Saudi Arabia.

After the agreement, 90 per cent of Pakistani pilgrims, will be able to go through customs and immigration processes at the airports of Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar before departing for Haj, instead of having to wait for 10-12 hours after arriving in Saudi Arabia, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Religious Affairs said.

The high-level Saudi delegation will be briefed at the Islamabad International Airport by officials from Customs, Civil Aviation Authority, the Anti-Narcotics Force and the interior and foreign ministries.

They will also review arrangements made at the airports in Lahore and Peshawar.

The project also includes other Muslim countries, like Indonesia and Malaysia.