ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi organized “Unity of Ummah Conference” in Islamabad on Tuesday to mark the 88th National Day of Saudi Arabia.
The conference adopted a resolution to urge the government of Pakistan to strengthen economic ties with Saudi Arabia and also welcomed Saudi Arabian participation in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), according to a statement issued by PUC at the end of the conference
Ashrafi said that KSA’s interest and involvement in CPEC will be beneficial for Pakistan and will boost the bilateral brotherly relations between the two countries.
Deputy Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Pakistan, Habib Ullah Bukhari and Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noor-ul-Qadri also attended the conference.
“Unity of Muslim Ummah is the ultimate panacea to resolve the challenges confronting Islamic world,” Bukhari said while addressing the conference.
He termed the bilateral relations between KSA and Pakistan as "examplary" and said: "The government of Saudi Arabia has always played a vital role in forging harmony among Muslim countries."
Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Pir Noor-ul-Qadri, told the gathering that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has supported Pakistan through thick and thin. "Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will steer the Muslim Ummah out of the prevailing challenges and hardships,” he said.
The Conference also adopted a resolution and thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman providing such good arrangements for the pilgrims of Hajj and Umrah.
Religious scholars urge Pakistan to strengthen economic ties with KSA
Religious scholars urge Pakistan to strengthen economic ties with KSA
- The Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) welcomed Saudi participation in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
- Saudi Arabia has always supported Pakistan through thick and thin, says Pakistan’s Minister for Religious Affairs
Pakistan extends airspace ban on Indian aircraft until Mar. 23
- This marks the ninth extension of the ban, first imposed in April after heightened tensions over an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir
- Restriction has forced Indian airlines to reroute their flights that resulted in increased fuel consumption, travel times and operating costs
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has extended a ban on Indian-registered aircraft from using its airspace until late March, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said on Friday, prolonging restrictions that have disrupted flight routes for Indian airlines.
Pakistan first imposed the restriction on Apr. 23 last year as part of a series of tit-for-tat measures announced by both countries days after an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. New Delhi blamed the attack that killed 26 tourists on Pakistan, Islamabad denied it.
Tensions had quickly escalated between the neighbors after India targeted several sites in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, triggering four-day-long missile, drone and artillery exchanges before a the United States brokered a ceasefire took on May 10, 2025.
"Pakistan’s airspace will remain closed to all Indian military and civil registered aircraft until Mar. 23," the PAA said in a statement.
This marks the ninth extension of the ban that has forced Indian airlines to reroute international flights, increasing fuel consumption, travel times and operating costs.
Air India, which operates numerous flights to Europe and North America, is lobbying the Indian government to convince China to let it use a sensitive military airspace zone in Xinjiang to shorten routes as the financial toll from the ban on Indian carriers flying over Pakistan mounts, according to Reuters.
