ISLAMABAD: Pakistan topped the list of countries that sent maximum numberof Umrah pilgrims to Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the season onAugust 31 until December 26, 2019, according to official statisticsreleased by the Kingdom on Friday.
The index showed that 495,270 Pakistanis performed their Umrah during theperiod, followed by 443,879 Indonesians and 262,887 Indians. Othercountries on the list included Malaysia, Egypt, Algeria, Turkey,Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Ministry Spokesman Imran Siddiqui told ArabNews on Saturday that the Saudi government had always won the hearts of thePakistani pilgrims through exceptional hospitality.
“This number of 495,270 was achieved in four months, showing theassociation and passionate love of our people with the two holy mosques,”he said. “Pakistan was the number one country with more than 1.7 millionpeople performing Umrah last year. The trend has continued this year aswell, and more people are likely to visit the Kingdom to undertake thisspiritual journey in the coming months, especially during Ramadan.”
The spokesperson said that one of the reasons behind the growing number ofpilgrims from Pakistan was the strengthening of bilateral relations betweenthe two countries, adding that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan andSaudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had brought the two statescloser together.
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“The Saudi crown prince has given Pakistani pilgrims special facilities,such as the Makkah Route, and such changes have contributed to theincreased number of pilgrims,” he said, noting that the Saudis had alsodigitized everything like visa for Umrah.
“This has reduced the cases of frauds committed by travel agents,especially when it comes to issues like accommodation. Now everything iselectronic and they have to show hotel accommodation for visa. The changeshave been made under Vision 2030, making things easier for the pilgrims,”Siddiqui said.
The Vision 2030 reforms plan aims to attract more than 30 million Umrahpilgrims and provide them excellent services. Last year, the Saudi Hajj andUmrah Ministry launched a weekly indicator that helps the authorities trackthe number of pilgrims visiting the Kingdom to enrich their spiritualexperience further.
