The National Democratic Congress (NDC) says it views with pain and regret the suffering of the over 3000 stranded Moslem pilgrims at the Kotoka International Airport and is calling on government to act quickly to rescue the situation. In a press statement issued in Accra on Friday and signed by Baba Jamal, Deputy General Secretary of the party, the NDC said it was reliably informed that over 3000 people paid to perform the Hajj this year out of which 2700 were granted the visas. It continued that a total amount of about $7m ($2300 each) have been paid to the Hajj Board, enough to organise a successful Hajj pilgrimage. The statement therefore called on government to “institute criminal investigations into the crisis to ascertain the causes of this crisis since it is obvious that some people did not do what is expected of them.” Joy News can however confirm that a charted flight is already airborne and bound for Ghana to airlift at least 500 pilgrims to Jeddah airport. The first batch of the Pilgrims in the early hours of Saturday left for Jeddah on board a charted flight The Tristar. Some of the pilgrims are still sceptical about a successful pilgrimage as time wears on but government sources say three more flights, including those arranged on the intervention of President John Agyekum Kufuor are expected to arrive soon.