ISLAMABAD: Around 8,550 pilgrims from Pakistan have reached the holy city of Madina, confirmed the Ministry of Religious Affairs on Monday.
A team of 45 members including paramedics has been deputed for the pilgrims while authorities have engaged another 70 from Saudi Arabia to assist and facilitates Pakistani nationals, ministry’s spokesperson Imran Siddiqui told Arab News.
Pakistan started the Hajj flights to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for its 200,000 pilgrims performing Hajj this year.
Ahead of flight operations, a team of Saudi officials had arrived in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad last week to install the immigration system at the Islamabad International Airport as part of ‘Road to Makkah’ project.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the government with the help of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has taken “revolutionary steps” to facilitate pilgrims, Pakistan’s state-run media reported on Monday.
Addressing a training ceremony for Hajj pilgrims in his native city of Multan, Qureshi said that Pakistan was included in Road to Makkah project upon special request by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
It is for the first time that the South Asian nation will avail domestic immigration facility for its pilgrims availing the Saudi initiative aimed at bringing ease for Muslim around the world.
Over 8000 Pakistani Hajj pilgrims reached Saudi Arabia
Over 8000 Pakistani Hajj pilgrims reached Saudi Arabia
- Government has taken 'revolutionary steps' with Saudi help to facilitate pilgrims, says foreign minister Hajj flights operation started from Pakistan last week.
- Around 200,000 Pakistanis will perform Hajj this year.
UAE President to make first official Pakistan visit today with Islamabad set for arrival
- Foreign office says talks will cover investment, energy cooperation and regional stability
- UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner and a key source of long-term investment
ISLAMABAD: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan today, Friday, for his first official visit since assuming office, with Islamabad adorned with Pakistani and Emirati flags to mark the occasion.
The visit, taking place at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, is aimed at reviewing bilateral ties and exploring ways to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, energy and development, according to Pakistan’s foreign office.
Ahead of the visit, Islamabad has been decked out with large billboards carrying images of the visiting UAE president alongside President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Sharif.
Rehearsals were also held a day earlier along roads leading to Constitution Avenue, the seat of the government, where groups dressed in traditional attire lined both sides of the route to welcome the visiting delegation.
“During the visit, His Highness will hold a meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, where the two leaders will review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest,” the foreign office said in a statement announcing the UAE president’s planned arrival earlier this week.
“The visit will provide an important opportunity to further strengthen the longstanding brotherly relations between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates,” it added.
The Islamabad administration has declared a public holiday in the capital, while the traffic police have rolled out an extensive plan to manage vehicular movement during the visit.
According to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan, heavy traffic entering the city has been barred from 6 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., with several main arteries closed and alternative routes designated.
Pakistan considers the UAE one of its closest regional and economic partners. The Gulf state is Islamabad’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States and remains a major source of foreign investment.
Over the past two decades, Emirati investment in Pakistan has exceeded $10 billion, according to the UAE’s foreign ministry.
Policymakers in Pakistan also consider the UAE an optimal export destination due to its geographical proximity, which minimizes transportation and freight costs while facilitating commercial transactions.
