ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), has announced a new Umrah policy for pilgrims traveling to the two Saudi cities of Madinah and Jeddah.
In a statement released on Tuesday, PIA said it would allow “group bookings and confirmations of at least 10 passengers,” adding that the Umrah policy and fares for travel from Pakistan to Jeddah and Madinah were valid till December 31 this year.
The Economy class return fare from Karachi, inclusive of all taxes, has been set at Rs. 91,000 whereas from other cities of Pakistan the fare will be Rs.96,000.
“The baggage allowance for economy class is 2 pieces not exceeding 36 Kgs and for executive economy the allowable baggage is 2 pieces not exceeding 40 Kgs,” the statement said. “The passengers will be allowed to carry one 5 liters Zam Zam (water) bottle as free allowable baggage.”
PIA said all passengers would be allowed one free change of booking seven days before the date of travel.
Last week Saudi Arabia permitted PIA to operate two new weekly flights to Al-Qassim province starting from November 19. Al-Qassim will be PIA’s fifth destination in Saudi Arabia.
With the new destination’s addition, PIA will be operating 42 weekly flights to Saudi Arabia. It already flies to Madinah, Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah.
Following the lifting of travel bans to check the spread of coronavirus last week, Pakistani pilgrims have started to arrive in Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
Saudi Arabia closed its borders in February to foreign Umrah pilgrims and, in March, stopped its own citizens and residents from taking part in order to contain the spread of the virus. In July, the Kingdom allowed a limited number of domestic pilgrims to perform Hajj.
PIA announces new Umrah policy for Pakistani pilgrims
https://arab.news/pj4hc
PIA announces new Umrah policy for Pakistani pilgrims
- National flag carrier allows group bookings and confirmations of at least 10 passengers
- Airline will operate 42 weekly flights to Saudi Arabia from this month
Pakistan says Panda bond launch to diversify funding, avoid overreliance on dollar
- Pakistan has said it plans to issue its first-ever yuan-denominated Panda bond in January 2026
- Pakistan minister identifies agriculture, minerals, AI as key areas to attract Chinese investment
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Tuesday that launching its first-ever Panda bond would allow Islamabad to diversify its external financing sources away from overreliance on the US dollar, the Finance Division said.
Pakistan has said it aims to launch the Panda bond— a yuan-denominated bond issued in China’s domestic market— by January next year. This highlights Pakistan’s efforts to find alternatives to dollar-denominated borrowing as global financial conditions tighten and Islamabad looks to escape a prolonged macroeconomic crisis.
Panda bonds are renminbi-denominated instruments sold to Chinese investors by foreign governments or companies, offering issuers access to China’s deep domestic capital markets while reducing exposure to foreign-exchange volatility.
“He said the [Panda bond] issuance would allow Pakistan to tap into the second-largest and second-deepest capital market in the world, helping diversify funding sources away from overreliance on the US dollar by complementing existing access to euro and sukuk markets,” the Finance Division said.
Aurangzeb was speaking to the state-owned China Global Television Network (CGTN), the Finance Division said.
The finance minister acknowledged Pakistan had “previously underutilized” the opportunity to take advantage of the Panda bond, expressing optimism about investor interest in the Chinese market.
He said Pakistan remains hopeful of launching the bond ahead of the Chinese New Year, calling it a “landmark development” in the country’s external financing strategy.
In response to a question about Pakistan’s economic priorities, Aurangzeb identified agriculture, minerals and mining, artificial intelligence and digital economy as key areas where Islamabad could attract Chinese investment.
“He emphasized that beyond capital flows, this phase of cooperation places strong emphasis on knowledge transfer and technical support,” the Finance Division said.
