Stranded Pakistani pilgrims in Iraq repatriated successfully on Saturday morning

KARACHI: A flight carrying Pakistani pilgrims who were stranded in Iraq’s Baghdad Aiport successfully landed at Karachi airport in the wee hours of Saturday.

According to the details, the Iraqi Airways flight IA-2431 carrying as many as 375 Pakistani pilgrims reached Karachi at 6:15 am from Baghdad, Iraq.

Foreign Office spokesperson on Friday said that 654 Pakistani zaireen (pilgrims) are stranded at Baghdad airport because of a technical fault with two aircrafts of Iraq Airways.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Aviation, and Pakistan’s Embassy in Iraq are in contact with Iraqi authorities and Iraq Airways for early repatriation of the stranded Pakistanis, the Foreign Office said.

A spokesperson confirmed that the two flights are expected to repatriate all stranded devotees by August 31 as the first flight already landed in Pakistan.

Those who were left behind during the first flight are expected to arrive by 2:45 pm today.

Earlier on Friday, flights carrying Pakistani pilgrims in Iraq were postponed at the eleventh hour, keeping passengers on wait for many hours.

Sources privy to the development told that the passports of Pakistani pilgrims, who traveled to Iraq for Chehlum and Arbaeen, were taken by the Iraqi authorities for processing. However, during the time of boarding their flight to Islamabad, the passports went missing causing subsequent delay.