ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday expressed gratitude to the government of Saudi Arabia for including Pakistan along with Malaysia, Indonesia and Tunis in its list of Hajj facilitation project Road to Makkah.

Under the Road to Makkah project, the custom checking and immigration of Pakistani Hajj pilgrims will be done within the country, saving them from hassle at the Saudi airports.

Foreign Minister Qureshi said, Prime Minister Imran Khan had requested Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman during his visit to Islamabad to include Pakistan in the Road to Makkah project, which would facilitate around 225,000 Hajj pilgrims this year.

He said special help counters at the Islamabad International Airport had already been set up in this regard.

The flight operation for Hajj will start from July 4.