ISLAMABAD: After managing the world’s largest multicultural religious event involving more than 2.4 million Muslims from 130 countries, Saudi Arabia has taken a new initiative to offer improved Hajj luggage services to pilgrims.
According to a report published by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Saturday, the initiative will begin its pilot phase within the next two days and will automatically organize luggage logistics before worshippers arrive at the airport.
The president of the Kingdom’s General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA), Abdulhadi Al Mansouri, said the idea behind the plan was to improve pilgrims’ services by reducing waiting times at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah and Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz International Airport in Madinah.
He added that the initiative would serve about 30,000 pilgrims in the first phase at the airports in Jeddah and Madinah. After this phase was completed, the service would expand to all pilgrims in airports throughout the country.
The Kingdom already extended a pre-departure immigration facility to pilgrims belonging to different countries, including Pakistan, under its ‘Road to Makkah’ program. It also deployed hundreds of young individuals who spoke different languages to assist people from various parts of the world at its airports in Makkah and Madinah.
Saudi Arabia also launched a number of cellphone apps to help pilgrims find emergency service centers, holy sites, currency exchange rates, restaurants and accommodations. Apart from that, it made it easier for people performing Hajj to carry Zamzam water back to their countries.
The new luggage facility at this stage will help people from Indonesia, India and Malaysia, according to the SPA report. It is also likely to make things more convenient for pilgrims to traveling to the Kingdom and performing Hajj in the coming years.
Saudi civil aviation authority to provide improved Hajj luggage services
Saudi civil aviation authority to provide improved Hajj luggage services
- The initiative will make it more convenient for pilgrims to travel and perform Hajj in the coming years
- Saudi authorities also gave pre-departure immigration facility to pilgrims from a number of countries, including Pakistan
‘Fully stand with Bangladesh’: Pakistan PM backs decision to boycott India match
- Pakistan’s government have not allowed the national cricket team to play its World Cup match against India on Feb. 15
- Pakistan has accused India of influencing ICC decisions, criticized global cricket body for replacing Bangladesh in World Cup
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday backed his government’s decision to bar the national men’s cricket team from playing against India in the upcoming T20 World Cup tournament, reaffirming support for Bangladesh.
Pakistan’s government announced on social media platform X last week that it has allowed its national team to travel to Sri Lanka for the World Cup. However, it said the Green Shirts will not take the field against India on their scheduled match on Feb. 15.
Pakistan’s participation in the tournament was thrown into doubt after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC) for replacing Bangladesh with Scotland. The decision was taken after Bangladesh said it would not let its team travel to India out of security concerns.
During a meeting of the federal cabinet, Sharif highlighted that Pakistan has said that politics should be kept away from sports.
“We have taken this stand after careful consideration and in this regard, we should stand fully with Bangladesh,” Sharif said in televised remarks.
“And I believe this is a very reasonable decision.”
Pakistan has blamed India for influencing the ICC’s decisions. The global cricket governing body is currently led by Jay Shah, the head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Shah is the son of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah.
Pakistan’s boycott announcement has triggered media frenzy worldwide, with several Indian cricket experts and analysts criticizing Islamabad for the decision. An India-Pakistan cricket contest is by far the most lucrative and eagerly watched match of any ICC tournament.
The ICC has ensured that the two rivals and Asian cricket giants are always in the same group of any ICC event since 2012 to capitalize on the high-stakes game.
The two teams have played each other at neutral venues over the past several years, as bilateral cricket remains suspended between them since 2013 due to political tensions.
Those tensions have persisted since the two nuclear-armed nations engaged in the worst fighting between them since 1999 in May 2025, after India blamed Pakistan for an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed tourists.
Pakistan denied India’s allegations that it was involved in the attack, calling for a credible probe into the incident.
