ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia has yet to issue a final policy for the Hajj pilgrimage this year, Pakistan’s religious affairs minister and a spokesman for the ministry have said, saying any final decision taken on number of international pilgrims allowed and standard operating procedures would be communicated to Pakistan in due time.
Saudi Arabia barred foreigners from the Hajj last year due to the pandemic for the first time in the kingdom’s modern history, allowing only a limited number of Saudi citizens and residents to perform the pilgrimage.
On Sunday, Religious Affairs Minister Noorul Haq Qadri said the kingdom’s Hajj ministry had not yet decided on the number of pilgrims and standard operating procedures for the upcoming Hajj, saying Pakistan would be “taken into confidence before making a final decision.”
“Pakistan’s religion ministry will be told about it, but until now ... they have made no final decision,” Qadri said in a video message to the nation.
“Saudi government has not yet issued a final policy on Hajj 2021,” religion ministry spokesman Imran Siddiqui told Arab News, saying Pakistan would follow all health protocols based on guidelines issued by the kingdom once they were finalized.
Last week, Pakistan had requested Saudi Arabia to include Chinese vaccines in its list of approved COVID-19 shots for visitors traveling to the kingdom to perform Hajj and Umrah.
“Pakistan has taken up with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the issue of vaccines which are mandatory for travel to Saudi Arabia for visit, Umrah and Hajj,” foreign office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri had said in a statement. “We have proposed inclusion of some of the Chinese vaccines used in Pakistan in the list of vaccines approved by the Saudi authorities ...The Ministry [of Foreign Affairs] is actively pursuing this matter with the Saudi side.”
Except for a small number of AstraZeneca jabs, Pakistan has mostly administered Chinese vaccines to its citizens in a government-run immunization campaign that began last February. Around five million people have been inoculated so far.
Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis visit Saudi Arabia annually, mostly for pilgrimage. The kingdom is also home to a sizeable Pakistani expatriate community that makes the largest contribution to incoming remittances every year.
Pakistan says Saudi Arabia has not yet communicated final Hajj policy
https://arab.news/rf8ur
Pakistan says Saudi Arabia has not yet communicated final Hajj policy
- Religious affairs minister says kingdom has not finalized number of pilgrims and standard operating procedures for this year’s Hajj
- Spokesperson says Pakistan to follow all health protocols based on guidelines issued by the kingdom once they are finalized
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agree to boost security, counterterrorism ties
- Talal Chaudhry meets Saudi deputy interior minister during visit to Riyadh, calls for regular engagement
- Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a joint defense pact last year, formalizing long-standing military relations
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agreed on Tuesday to enhance cooperation on security and counterterrorism, said an official statement, as Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry met Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Abdulaziz bin Mohammed bin Ayyaf in Riyadh.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of deepening defense and security ties between the two countries. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia last year signed a bilateral defense accord that elevated long-standing military cooperation into a formal security commitment, with both sides pledging to treat aggression against one as a threat to the other.
“Continuous engagement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is essential for peace and stability in the region,” Chaudhry said in a statement released after the meeting, which also noted an understanding to strengthen security and counterterrorism cooperation.
He also represented Pakistan at the World Defense Show 2026, a major international exhibition hosted in Riyadh that brings together governments, armed forces and global defense manufacturers.
During the visit, the Pakistani minister also conveyed greetings on behalf of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to the Saudi leadership ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, which begins later this month.
