ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has set up a helpline to aid Hajj pilgrims with updated information regarding their flight schedules.
The announcement comes as air travel from Pakistan experiences disruption in the wake of escalated tension with Asian neighbour India.
According to ministry’s spokesperson, pilgrims can call at 051-9216980 at any time of the day to obtain updates related to their Hajj travel arrangements.
It is to be highlighted that flight operation from Pakistan has already started and thousands of pilgrims have already reached in Saudi Arabia fr the annual pilgrimage; however, there has been a disruption in flight operation across the country after India and Pakistan engaged in aerial warfare a few days ago.
The escalation has led to intermittent closure of airspace both in India and Pakistan and currently flights are being cancelled or rerouted. The tension between the nuclear armed neighbours is at its highest in recent years.
Though no official word is available. aviation experts believe that if the tension persists between the two countries, Hajj operation could be affected as flights would not be able to take off from Pakistan.
For this year, as many as over 110,000 pilgrims from Pakistan would land in Saudi Arabia for Hajj if the flight operation goes as planned. International players including the US are calling on both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and maintain regional stability; however, barbs are being traded between the two sides at the moment.
