The first Hajj flight on Nov 13

Islamabad, 02 Nov 07

The first Pakistani Hajj flight will depart from Peshawar for Madina on November 13, officials said.

Nearly 160,000 Pakistanis would perform Hajj this year. As many as 80,000 pilgrims are performing Hajj under the regular government scheme while the remaining through the private Hajj tour operators.

The religious affairs ministry has arranged 424 flights for Saudi Arabia for regular pilgrims.

The last Hajj flight will depart from Islamabad on December 11.

The first flight, after Hajj, will arrive in Pakistan from Saudi Arabia on December 24 and the last on January 24, 2008.