JEDDAH: The Hajj 2018 season has begun, with the first flights arriving from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Malaysia on Saturday.
King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah and Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz International Airport, Madinah, are witnessing the start of pilgrimage flights, in which all public and private sectors operating in the airport finished preparations for serving pilgrims from all over the world.
Pakistan has started operating Hajj flights and the first Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-7001, carrying 171 pilgrims from Karachi, landed in Madinah early on Saturday morning.
On the second flight, 186 Pakistani pilgrims reached the King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah from Islamabad through PK- 741 and were welcomed by Pakistani consulate officers. Saudi Deputy Minister of Hajj Abdullah Al-Fataah and other Saudi officials were also present.
According to Hajj policy 2018, a total of 107,000 Pakistanis will perform Hajj under the government Hajj scheme and 77,210 pilgrims will do so through private Hajj schemes. Hajj flights are also scheduled from other major cities of the country including Peshawar, Multan, Sukkur, Lahore and Faisalabad.
“We have made excellent accommodation, food and transportation arrangements for all the pilgrims with the cooperation of the Saudi government,” Imran Siddiqui, spokesperson for the Pakistani Ministry of Religious Affairs, told Arab News.
He said 184,210 Pakistanis will perform Hajj this year, while flight operations will continue from Saturday till Aug. 15.
Siddiqui said the Saudi Embassy in Islamabad remained open, even in weekends, to process visas and other official requirements for people intending to perform their Hajj.
The Jeddah airport also received the first flight carrying pilgrims from Bangladesh, 419 in total.
Pilgrims were offered dates and prayer mats by the Saudi authorities.
The passengers were received by Vice President of the General Authority for Civil Aviation Sulaiman bin Hamad Al-Bassam, Director General of King Abdul Aziz International Airport Essam Fouad, and a number of government and airport officials.
The Madinah airport also received the first flight carrying pilgrims from Malaysia.
The first Hajj flight from Kabul also arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, carrying 345 Afghan pilgrims.
Hajj flights have started from Kabul and Herat but others will soon leave from Kandahar and Balkh airports, confirmed Faiz Mohammad Osmani, Minister for Hajj and Religious Endowments, on Saturday.
An estimated 30,000 Afghans will perform Hajj this year, out of which the government will sponsor 500 — mainly the family members of those who fell victim to the country’s ongoing war.
The operational plan for the Hajj season this year included preparations for receiving pilgrims and the training of governmental bodies at the airport for finalizing their processes swiftly.
Hajj 2018: Saudi Arabia begins to receive pilgrims
Hajj 2018: Saudi Arabia begins to receive pilgrims
- About 107,000 Pakistanis will perform Hajj under the government Hajj scheme and 77,210 pilgrims will do so through private Hajj schemes
- Pilgrims were offered dates and prayer mats by the Saudi authorities
Related
Saudi Justice Ministry to host training conference
RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Justice is to hold the International Conference of Judicial Training in Riyadh from May 6-7.
The Judicial Training Center hosts the event which will see the participation of several international training institutes, centers, and experts in the field of judicial and legal training. The objective is to facilitate the exchange of experiences and deliberations on contemporary trends in the era of digital transformation.
Called “The Future of Judicial Training in the Era of Digital Transformation,” the event will delve into the prospects of training in the future. It will explore paths for enhancing training content; strategies for harnessing modern technology; artificial intelligence in judicial training; and effective methodologies for measuring the training’s impact.
Saudi energy minister attends Tashkent International Investment Forum
TASHKENT: Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman on Thursday participated in the primary dialogue session at the third Tashkent International Investment Forum.
In the presence of the president of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the energy minister highlighted the distinguished relations between the two nations, emphasizing the leadership’s strong commitment to enhancing and expanding cooperation across all sectors, particularly energy.
The partnership aims to benefit both countries and their citizens.
Who’s Who: Ali Alhasan, CEO and founder of NanoPalm
- Alhasan co-developed deep tech to leverage large language models for biotech discovery
- He was granted the Outstanding Researcher Award from the International Institute for Nanotechnology in 2012
Ali Alhasan is CEO and founder of the company NanoPalm. He holds a Ph.D. in nanomedicine, with expertise in nano-drug delivery and gene therapy and five years of experience in executive management.
In his role as CEO, Alhasan formulates the strategic and business plans for accelerating therapy translation globally and trains talents in deep tech, nanotech, and gene editing tech.
Alhasan co-developed deep tech to leverage large language models for biotech discovery. He also co-invented Nanopalm’s biorobots for the delivery of gene editing primers and helped discover four nanomedicines for four different genetic diseases.
He is also an associate professor at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology and an adjunct professor at Alfaisal University, establishing collaboration agreements between the two.
As associate professor, he is the principal researcher for development and innovation in nanomedicine and the fourth industrial revolution.
In his role as adjunct professor, Alhasan teaches nanomedicine and mentors postgraduate and undergraduate students. He also co-established the Cancer Nanoscience Program.
Previously, Alhasan served in executive leadership roles at KACST as deputy at the Joint Centers of Excellence Program (2021), deputy of the Life Science and Environment Research Institute (2020), director of the Center of Excellence for Biomedicine (2020), and director of Strategic Initiatives (2016).
Alhasan was a post-doctoral scholar at the University of California in 2015 and received his Ph.D. in the Interdepartmental Biological Sciences Program from Northwestern University in 2013.
In 2008, he received a master’s degree in biotechnology also from Northwestern University, while in 2001, he received his bachelor’s degree in medical technology from King Abdulaziz University.
Alhasan was granted the Leader of the Year award from the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology in 2024. In 2018, he received the Outstanding Investigator Award from KACST.
He was granted the Outstanding Researcher Award from the International Institute for Nanotechnology in 2012.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan speaks with Swiss foreign minister
- two ministers discussed developments of common interest and efforts made by both countries in those areas
RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke on the phone with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis on Thursday.
During the call, the two ministers discussed developments of common interest and efforts made by both countries in those areas, Saudi Press Agency reported.
Cassis was in the Kingdom last month to attend the Special Meeting of the World Economic Forum held in Riyadh on April 28 and 29, during which he met with Prince Faisal.
Prince Faisal and Cassis also met earlier in the year in February during UN meetings in Geneva.
Saudi FM discusses preparations for Expo 2030 with BIE chief
- During the meeting, the two officials discussed the Kingdom’s preparations to host Expo 2030 in Riyadh
- “We underlined the importance of careful planning to deliver a transformational World Expo in 2030,” Kerkentzes said
RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received the Secretary-General of the Bureau International des Expositions Dimitri Kerkentzes in Riyadh on Thursday.
During the meeting, the two officials discussed the Kingdom’s preparations to host Expo 2030 in Riyadh and coordination to ensure that the exhibition would be “exceptional,” Saudi Press Agency reported.
Writing on social media platform X, Kerkentzes said: “We underlined the importance of careful planning to deliver a transformational World Expo in 2030.”
The BIE chief met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday.
World Expo 2030 will be hosted in Riyadh after the Kingdom defeated challenges from South Korea and Italy to host the prestigious event in November 2023.
