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By Muhammad Muniruddin
KARACHI: PIA added Sialkot as a new destination this year
for direct Hajj flights. The first Pre-Hajj flight from
Sialkot Intentional airport carrying 468 Hajj pilgrims left
for Jeddah on Friday. PIA brought Sialkot, the Birth place
of thinker and philosopher, Dr Allama Iqbal, closer to global
destinations through direct flights and its citizens would
now be travelling directly to the Holy Land for Hajj while
in the past they had to take flights from Lahore to Saudi
Arabia and other Gulf destinations. Managing Director PIA,
Capt Aijaz Haroon especially flew to Sialkot to bid farewell
to Hajj pilgrims while Federal Minister for Population Welfare
Dr. Firdoos Ashiq Awan, Chairman Sialkot International Airport
Naeem Akhtar, Senior PIA and other government were also
present on the occasion. Direct Hajj flight from Sialkot
International Airport will continue till November 20, 2009
with a total of 08 flights carrying over 3700 Hajj pilgrims
to holy land. The post-Hajj flight for Sialkot would start
from December 24 and continue till December 31, 2009. Meanwhile
Hajj operation is progressing smoothly and so far PIA has
transported over 84,000 Hajj pilgrims to Jeddah and Madinah
through 208 flights with nine daily flights from different
cities during the last 23 days since the commencement of
the pre-hajj operation.
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