ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday welcomed Saudi Arabia’s “landmark” decision to allow millions of Umrah pilgrims to travel to other cities in the country, instead of being restricted to Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah.
“This is another gift from the Kingdom after Road to Makkah program,” Imran Siddiqui, spokesperson for the Ministry of Religious Affairs told Arab News, adding that Pakistan “welcomes this landmark decision by the Saudi government.”
The Saudi cabinet on Tuesday decided to allow Umrah pilgrims and visitors at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah to move freely in the Kingdom outside the cities of Makkah, Madinah, and Jeddah, reported the Saudi Press Agency. “A royal decree has been prepared to this effect,” the SPA quoted the Kingdom’s acting media minister Issam bin Saeed as saying.
Siddiqui said that “now any Pakistani who travels to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah can avail this opportunity to meet their family members and friends living in different parts of Kingdom.”
“This will bring ease to Pakistani nationals who top the list of pilgrims performing Umrah,” he said, adding that “this year alone, more than 1.6 million Pakistanis performed Umrah.”
According to Saudi media reports, nearly eight million Muslims from across the world are expected to perform Umrah this year, with the latest development expected to add another feather to their cap.
Pakistan lauds Saudi decision to allow free movement of pilgrims
Pakistan lauds Saudi decision to allow free movement of pilgrims
- All pilgrims allowed to travel to different cities during their stay in the Kingdom
- Pakistanis top list of nationalities performing Umrah this year
Pakistanis among 44 migrants rescued by aid ship off Libyan coast
- Survivors rescued after days at sea on unseaworthy boat in international waters
- Pakistanis have featured in several deadly Mediterranean migrant disasters in recent years
Crew members of the humanitarian rescue ship Ocean Viking evacuated and provided first aid to 44 migrants stranded aboard a merchant vessel in international waters off the Libyan coast, the NGO SOS Mediterranee said on Monday.
The group, originating mainly from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Egypt, had been rescued earlier from an unseaworthy fiberglass boat and later transferred to the merchant ship before the Ocean Viking intervened, according to the organization.
Libya, about 300 kilometers from Italy, remains one of the main departure points in North Africa for migrants attempting the dangerous Mediterranean crossing, despite repeated warnings from humanitarian agencies about abuse, exploitation and high fatality rates along the route.
Migrants often depart Libya after months in detention centers or informal holding sites, boarding overcrowded and unsafe vessels operated by smuggling networks. Delays in rescue frequently leave survivors severely weakened, aid groups say.
“These 44 people, they are mainly from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Egypt. They departed reportedly from Benghazi (Libya) some five or six days ago. And they are now safe on board the Ocean Viking, recovering,” Francesco Creazzo, spokesperson for SOS Mediterranee, said.
Creazzo said the migrants were found in severe physical distress when evacuated.
“They were exhausted, coughing of dehydration, extremely weak, some couldn’t walk,” he added.
The Ocean Viking, an ambulance ship operated by SOS Mediterranee, regularly conducts search-and-rescue missions in the central Mediterranean, one of the world’s deadliest migration routes. According to international organizations, thousands of people have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean over the past decade while attempting to reach Europe.
The latest rescue comes amid a series of deadly migrant disasters in the Mediterranean in recent years that have involved Pakistani nationals. In June 2023, at least several hundred migrants died when the Adriana, a fishing trawler carrying migrants from Pakistan and other countries, capsized off the coast of Greece in one of the deadliest maritime disasters in the region in a decade.
Earlier incidents have also seen Pakistani migrants perish in shipwrecks off Italy, Tunisia and Libya, highlighting the persistent risks faced by people attempting irregular sea crossings to Europe. Pakistani authorities have repeatedly urged citizens not to undertake the journey, while international agencies warn that smugglers continue to exploit economic hardship and conflict to lure migrants onto unsafe boats.
