The Ministry of Religious Affairs has restarted Hajj operations after the ceasefire between Pakistan and India and the reopening of Pakistan’s airspace, according to the report.
Flight operations were earlier suspended when Pakistan declared a nationwide air emergency following Indian missile attacks on three Pakistan Air Force bases, which were intercepted by the country’s defence systems.
With the situation easing, civilian and commercial flights have now resumed across the country, indicating a return to normalcy.
As per ministry officials, the first post-ceasefire Hajj flight is set to take off tonight, resuming the pilgrimage process that had been put on hold due to rising cross-border tensions.
Earlier, three Hajj flights were cancelled on the same day, contributing to a total of ten suspended flights since hostilities began. This disruption affected 2,290 pilgrims, preventing them from flying to Saudi Arabia on schedule.
Of the suspended flights, seven were operated by Saudi Airlines and three by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
The resumption follows a ceasefire between the two countries, initially announced by US President Donald Trump and later confirmed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In an official statement, the Ministry of Religious Affairs shared that 1,100 affected pilgrims have already been flown out on special PIA flights. The remaining 1,190 are scheduled to depart soon.
“The airspace of Pakistan has been fully restored for all types of flights. Hajj operations will now continue as per the original schedule,” the ministry said.
Flights that were cancelled included three from Lahore, two from Islamabad, and one each from Karachi and Multan.
So far, 1,277 pilgrims have been accommodated through special flights, and arrangements are underway to send the remaining 1,013 shortly. In total, 19,669 Pakistani pilgrims have successfully reached Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj.
The ministry has advised all pilgrims to stay in contact with their assigned Hajj camps for updates and further support.