KABUL: The process of sending Hajj pilgrims for this year’s (1404) has officially begun during a ceremony attended by senior officials of the Islamic Emirate in Kabul, the Ministry of Hajj, Religious Affairs said in a statement today.
Dr. Noor Mohammad Saqib, acting Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs, stated that the first flight carrying 230 pilgrims departed from Kabul International Airport to Medina, Saudi Arabia.
He added that for the upcoming Hajj rituals, 30,000 pilgrims from Afghanistan will be accompanied by 652 qualified scholars serving as guides, alongside the distribution of Hajj guidebooks.
Minister Saqib emphasized that the pilgrims will be transported in 97 flights.
Speaking in the ceremony, the Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi, assured that the management of Afghan pilgrims’ dispatch and return will be conducted with full commitment, integrity, and international standards.
He confirmed that flights for the pilgrims will be facilitated from four zones in the country (Kabul, Balkh, Kandahar, and Herat).
Approximately 30,000 individuals from Afghanistan are expected to participate in this year’s Hajj ceremony.