Over 100 Umrah pilgrims, including women and children, were removed from their flight at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport for failing to provide polio and COVID-19 vaccination certificates.
The passengers were taken off a Saudi airline flight just before it was set to depart, leading to protests at the airport.
They stated that after being offloaded, they were instructed to buy new tickets, despite having saved up money with great difficulty for their Umrah trip.
The pilgrims argued that the travel agent and the airline were at fault, yet they were the ones facing the consequences.
Meanwhile, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan arrived at the airport, where the Umrah pilgrims surrounded him and voiced their complaints.
They demanded that the Speaker take immediate action to arrange their departure.
The Umrah pilgrims refused to leave the airport and chanted slogans against the airline’s behavior.
Authorities in Makkah have introduced a complimentary luggage storage service for Umrah pilgrims on December, 27, 2024. Pilgrims can utilize this service by presenting their permits via the Nusuk app.
The General Authority for Care of the Two Holy Mosques specified on November 22, 2024, that the ideal times to perform Umrah are from 6am to 8am, 12pm to 2pm, and 2am to 4am.
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