ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs announced on Tuesday it would soon invite tenders to ensure the availability of COVID-19 vaccine for local Hajj pilgrims.
The decision was made during a consultative session in Islamabad that was attended by the representatives of National Health Services, Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan, Expanded Program for Immunization and Polyclinic Hospital.
The meeting focused on issues related to the health and safety of Hajj pilgrims and availability of meningitis vaccine and regular flu shots.
The coronavirus pandemic also came under discussion, as the participants of the gathering tried to identify various vaccine procurement options.
“We are not going to compromise on the health and safety of Pakistani Hajj pilgrims,” said a senior ministry official, Shahid Ahmad Sindhu. “We are also going to consult the National Command and Operations Authority to ensure the availability of the coronavirus vaccine.”
Pakistan has already launched its COVID-19 vaccination campaign after receiving 500,000 doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine.
The country is also expected to get 17 million doses of AstraZeneca in the coming months under a global scheme for equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccine to developing nations.
Will soon invite tenders to ensure COVID-19 vaccine for Pakistani Hajjis — religion ministry
https://arab.news/6q26u
Will soon invite tenders to ensure COVID-19 vaccine for Pakistani Hajjis — religion ministry
- The religious affairs ministry is expected to invite tenders to ascertain sufficient availability of COVID-19 vaccines
- Ministry officials also want enough meningitis vaccines, regular flu shots for Pakistani Hajj pilgrims
Pakistanis at remote border describe scramble to leave Iran
- Returning Pakistani nationals recount missile fire in Tehran, transport gridlock as people rush to exit Iran
- PM Sharif condemns targeting of Iranian leader as embassies urge citizens to leave amid escalating strikes
TAFTANT, Pakistan: Pakistani nationals hauled suitcases across the border from neighboring Iran, describing missiles being launched and travel chaos as they scrambled to leave the country after the US and Israel launched strikes over the weekend.
AFP journalists saw a steady trickle of people passing through large metal gates at the remote border crossing between Iran’s Mirjaveh and Taftan in Pakistan’s western Balochistan province.
Powerful explosions have rocked Iran’s capital Tehran since Saturday, with embassies from countries around the world telling their citizens to leave.
“All our Pakistani brothers who were in Tehran and other cities had started to leave and were arriving at the terminal, which caused a lot of crowd pressure,” 38-year-old trader Ameer Muhammad told AFP on Monday.
“Due to the crowds, there were major transport problems.”
The isolated Taftan border lies around 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Balochistan’s capital and largest city, Quetta.
AFP journalists saw the Iranian flag flying at half-mast as soldiers stood guard.
Most people wheeled bulky luggage over the frontier’s foot crossing, while freight lorries formed a long line.
Irshad Ahmed, a 49-year-old pilgrim, told AFP he was staying at a hostel in Tehran when he saw missiles being fired nearby.
“There was an army base near the hostel, and we saw many missiles being fired,” he said.
“After that, we went to the Pakistani embassy so that they could evacuate us from there. They brought us here safely.”
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was a “violation” of international law.
“It is an age old convention that the Heads of State/Government should not be targeted,” Sharif wrote on X.
The “people of Pakistan join the people of Iran in their hour of grief and sorrow and extend the most sincere condolences on the martyrdom” of Khamenei, he added.
A teacher at Tehran’s Pakistani embassy, who gave his name as Saqib, told AFP: “Before we left, the situation was normal. The situation was not that bad.”
The 38-year-old said the strikes on Tehran on Saturday “pushed us to leave the city.”
“The situation became bad on Saturday night, when attacks caused precious lives to be lost,” he said.
