ISLAMABAD: Two Hajj flights, one from Lahore and one from Islamabad, departed for Saudi Arabia on Thursday morning, a day after a Saudi delegation from Riyadh visited Islamabad International Airport to review arrangements for the annual pilgrimage.
“It’s the first time Road to Makkah project has been introduced in Pakistan. It’s a gift from King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman to help and assist our (Pakistani) brothers and Hajj pilgrims from Pakistan,” Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, who is Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Pakistan, told Arab News on Wednesday after reviewing Hajj arrangements with the Saudi delegation.
He said the Hajj quota for Pakistanis, enhanced to 200,000 by the Saudi government in April, could be further increased.
On Friday, Prime Minister Imran Khan is scheduled to formally inaugurate the Road to Makkah project in Pakistan, the PM’s adviser Arbab Shehzad said.
A team of 64 Saudi officials arrived in Islamabad on Sunday and installed an immigration system at the Islamabad International Airport to facilitate Pakistani pilgrims flying to Makkah and Madinah for Hajj this year. The immigration facility, staffed by Saudi officers, has been set up separately from regular immigration counters and is expected to be introduced in other airports of the country also.
Figures from Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs show over 21,000 Hajj pilgrims will avail the facility during this Hajj season. Also, once Pakistani Hajj pilgrims arrive in Saudi Arabia, they will no longer face long immigration lines or have to lug travel bags, which Saudi officials said would be delivered straight to their points of stay.
Road to Makkah project paves way for seamless Hajj operations in Pakistan
Road to Makkah project paves way for seamless Hajj operations in Pakistan
- Initiative is ‘gift from King Salman and Crown Prince,’ Saudi envoy Al-Malki says
- 64-member Saudi team installs new immigration system to facilitate pilgrims flying from Islamabad
Pakistan to send over 10,000 workers to Italy over three years after securing employment quota
- Government says Italy will admit 3,500 workers annually under seasonal and non-seasonal labor schemes
- It calls the deal a 'milestone' as Italy becomes the first European country to allocate job quota for Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has secured a quota of 10,500 jobs from Italy over the next three years, an official statement said on Saturday, opening legal employment pathways for Pakistani workers in Europe under Italy’s seasonal and non-seasonal labor programs.
Under the arrangement, 3,500 Pakistani workers will be employed in Italy each year, including 1,500 seasonal workers hired for time-bound roles, and 2,000 non-seasonal workers for longer-term employment across sectors.
The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development said Italy is the first European country to allocate a dedicated labor quota to Pakistan, describing the move as a milestone in Pakistan’s efforts to expand overseas employment opportunities beyond traditional labor markets in the Middle East.
“After prolonged efforts, doors to employment for the Pakistani workforce in Italy are about to open,” Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain said, calling the quota allocation a “historic milestone.”
The jobs will be available across multiple sectors, including shipbreaking, hospitality, healthcare and agriculture, with opportunities for skilled and semi-skilled workers in professions such as welding, technical trades, food services, housekeeping, nursing, medical technology and farming.
The agreement comes as Pakistan seeks to diversify overseas employment destinations for its workforce and increase remittance inflows, which remain a key source of foreign exchange for the country’s economy.
The ministry said a second meeting of the Pakistan-Italy Joint Working Group on labor cooperation is scheduled to be held in Islamabad in February 2026, where implementation and future cooperation are expected to be discussed.
