JEDDAH: The director general of the information department at Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ibrahim bin Abdulwahab Al-Gharib, said that the ministry grants beneficiaries of the Makkah Route initiative e-Hajj visas after inserting pilgrims’ data in the electronic track of Hajj visas.
He explained in a press statement on Sunday that the ministry is participating with other concerned government agencies in the implementation of the Makkah Route initiative, following the directives of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to provide the best service for pilgrims.
Al-Gharib said that the Makkah Route initiative was implemented for the Hajj season on Thursday at the airports of Islamabad in Pakistan and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and began with the first flight on Sunday in Indonesia, to be followed by Bangladesh.
He said the initiative aims to provide the best services for pilgrims through the completion of their entry into the Kingdom from the airports of their countries.
Indonesian pilgrims
The initiative was inaugurated on Sunday at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Indonesia, in the presence of Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs Dr. Lukman Hakim Saifuddin and Saudi Ambassador to Indonesia Essam Abed Al-Thaqafi.
Following the inauguration, the 410 Indonesian pilgrims on the first flight completed their entry into the Kingdom via dedicated lanes at the airport in record time.
The Saudi ambassador to Indonesia said that the implementation of the Makkah Route initiative in Indonesia for the second year confirms the success of cooperation between the two countries’ authorities in serving Indonesian pilgrims to the Kingdom.
