LAHORE The Hajis on their return to the country late Sunday night expressed their anger over the 'ill-treatment given by Saudi Arabian government about the lodging facilities provided during the recently concluded Haj. These were the worst-ever facilities provided in the history of Haj, said a group of pilgrims as they landed at Allama Iqbal International Airport by first Haj flight of PIAs post-Haj operation. Director Marketing PIA Imran Ahmed Khan, District Manager PIA Lahore Nauman Muneer and other senior officials of the airline welcomed the flight, PK 3162. This time around the Hajis were not angry with the national flag carrier rather they focused on the facilities provided by Saudi government while terming the compensation of 250 Riyals for every affected-Haji as peanut. One of them, Muhammad Ahmad, demanded a high-level judicial inquiry to look into the issue. Another, Amin Ahmed, said they had to face severe problems after reaching Mina on the second leg of the pilgrimage because there were no tents for them, and ultimately, they had to stay in the open sky. The Hajis had also held a protest outside the Pakistans Haj Mission in Saudi Arabia, said Mehboob Alam. They asked the government not to accept the announced compensation and should not only lodge an official protest with Saudi Arabia but also sought a hefty payment. The arrangements had to be made by the Saudi contractors to whom it was outsourced. The Saudi government has conceded that the fault lies on their side, they said. A pilgrim said a large good number of Hajis were stranded in Mina and faced difficulties in finding transport for the return journey. It is worth mentioning that the govt has already ordered Director Haj in Saudi Arabia, Rao Shakeel, to return to the country while the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is busy in conducting an inquiry against him. Rao has allegedly played a key role in acquiring accommodation and transportation for the pilgrims, in association with Saudi companies to which the job was outsourced. Due to congestion at Jeddah Airport and strict security measures by the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority, the flights departures were behind the schedule, said a Haji, who is an employee of the CAA in Pakistan. Meanwhile, General Manager Passenger Handling Services PIA, Aijaz Mazhar and a team of senior officials are present at Jeddah Airport to facilitate the returning Hajis. They are in constant touch with the Saudi officials for speeding up security procedures. The Hajis have also been advised by PIA to reach Jeddah Airport well before the required check-in time. The PIA spokesman said the airline would operate 255 flights from Saudi Arabia to bring 102, 991 Hajis back to Pakistan. The operation will conclude on December 21. The first Haj flights arrived at Lahore and Karachi on Sunday, while the plane for Islamabad landed at Benazir Bhutto International Airport in the early hours of Monday. The process for Quetta and Peshawar also started on Monday.