Mohsin Naqvi reviews Road to Makkah arrangements at Islamabad airport

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday paid an unannounced visit to Islamabad International Airport to examine immigration arrangements for Hajj pilgrims and other travellers under the Road to Makkah initiative.

During the visit, the minister inspected the Saudi immigration counters established at the airport and met the personnel assigned there. Under the initiative, Pakistani pilgrims complete Saudi immigration procedures in Islamabad before leaving for the kingdom, enabling them to avoid queues upon arrival in Saudi Arabia.

Pilgrims present at the airport expressed satisfaction with the arrangements during the minister’s visit.

"The process was extremely easy; we faced no difficulty," they told the minister while thanking him for the facilitation. Other passengers also said the immigration counters at international arrivals were functioning smoothly.

"Immigration took only a few minutes; the process was very easy," they said.

Naqvi also visited the Joint Search Check Post, where he directed officials to make the search process more effective and faster. He said the security system was being upgraded with modern technology and stressed that passenger convenience and security should be ensured at the same time.

The minister instructed all relevant agencies to work in coordination, saying that providing facilities to passengers without delay was the top priority.

Director General FIA Dr Usman Anwar, FIA Islamabad Zone Director Syed Shahzad Nadeem Bukhari and other officers accompanied the minister during the visit.

Road to Makkah scheme

The Road to Makkah initiative allows Hajj pilgrims to complete immigration clearance at departure airports in Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco and Bangladesh. In Pakistan, the programme is operational at airports in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar.

Under the system, pilgrims are tagged and then proceed directly to their accommodation in Saudi Arabia, avoiding lengthy immigration procedures at airports in Jeddah and Madinah.

More than 89,000 Pakistani pilgrims are expected to perform Hajj this year, and 50 per cent of them will travel under the scheme.

The visit focused on reviewing both facilitation and security arrangements at Islamabad airport as the Hajj operation continues.