Religious affairs minister Sardar Muhammad Yousuf on Sunday affirmed that the government was providing Haj pilgrims with the best possible facilities as the Paki­stan International Air­lines (PIA) began its Haj operation.

Pilgrims were seen off at the Islamabad International Airport by Yousuf and other senior officials at the airport, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

It added that the Road to Makkah project has been expanded to Lahore, in addition to Karachi and Islamabad, and is expected to benefit over 95,000 pilgrims this year.

A PIA spokesperson had earlier said that the first flight of the Haj operation (PK-747), carrying over 390 pilgrims, was set to depart from Sialkot for Madina, which took off past 2am.

At the Islamabad airport, the Haj operation’s first flight from the capital (SV-5723) took off for Madina with 270 pilgrims on board, along with 10 crew members. The flight took off at 11am, a statement by the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said.

Addressing the ceremony in Islamabad, the minister said Pakistan completed the Haj preparations within the stipulated time with the support of the Saudi government, adding that the government was providing the pilgrims with the best possible facilities.

He highlighted that the Road to Makkah project allows pilgrims to complete Saudi immigration and other formalities at their departure airport, making their arrival in Saudi Arabia smoother, Radio Pakistan reported.

Pilgrims will also be provided with e-SIM cards, enabling them to remain in contact with their families in Pakistan, the minister said. Other facilities included modern tents and high-speed trains connecting Makkah and Madinah for convenient travel.

The minister expressed gratitude to Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, and Haj Minister Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al Rabiah for their support and guidance in facilitating the Haj preparations.

He congratulated the pilgrims on embarking on a blessed journey and urged them to represent Pakistan with “honour and dignity during their pilgrimage”, the report added.

Separately, the PAA said in a statement that the first Haj flight of the year from Faisalabad International Airport, PK-4003, took off for Madina with 158 pilgrims on board.

A PIA spokesperson said that under the government scheme, 49,000 pilgrims will travel, while over 6,000 pilgrims through private Haj group operators will also be facilitated via PIA flights.

The PIA pre-Haj operation will conclude on May 21, the spokesperson added.

Under the Haj operation, PIA will transport over 15,400 pilgrims from Islamabad to Saudi Arabia through 46 flights.

Over 15,000 pilgrims will be flown through 55 flights from Karachi; 12,377 pilgrims through 34 flights from Lahore; 3,680 pilgrims through 23 flights from Faisalabad; 5,383 pilgrims through 13 flights from Multan; 2,075 pilgrims through five flights from Sialkot; and 4,487 pilgrims through 15 Haj flights from Quetta.

The first flight from Karachi (PK-743) will depart on April 23 at 07:15 am with 391 pilgrims.

The first Haj flight from Quetta will depart on April 21 at 5:45am with over 300 pilgrims, while an equal number of passengers will be onboard the first pre-Haj flight from Lahore on April 24.

Correction: This story previously incorrectly stated that the first Haj flight from Islamabad was PK-753, destined for Riyadh. The error has now been corrected and is regretted.