ISLAMABAD: Pakistani officials and pilgrims on Sunday praised the Saudi authorities for their efforts to make Umrah more accessible to Muslims across the world, calling the recent reduction in the cost of comprehensive insurance by 63 percent a “generous gesture.”
Last week, the kingdom’s ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced a major decrease in the insurance rate for pilgrims from SR235 to SR87.
The decision was part of several steps taken by the Saudi authorities to facilitate Umrah pilgrims, including an extension in the visa validity period from 30 to 90 days and allowing women to perform pilgrimage without a male guardian.
“The Saudi government is to be praised for their efforts in making Umrah more accessible to pilgrims from abroad,” Hamzah Gilani, a spokesperson for the Pakistani consulate in Jeddah, told Arab News. “This is an incredibly generous gesture, indicative of the Saudi government’s commitment to uphold religious traditions and provide a safe environment to those who seek spiritual fulfillment through Umrah.”
Muhammad Umar Butt, a spokesperson for the religious affairs ministry, recalled the major steps taken by the kingdom to facilitate Hajj and Umrah pilgrims in recent months, saying they would help improve the quality of the spiritual journey for Muslims living across the world.
“These are commendable steps and show that the kingdom wants to improve the experience of pilgrims and reduce their expenses to make the journey affordable for all Muslims,” he said.
Osama Ahmed from Lahore, who arrived in Makkah on Saturday, told Arab News over the phone the reduction in insurance cost had been announced at a time when everything was getting expensive around the world.
“The reduction itself may have a limited impact on the overall cost,” he said, “but it shows the Saudi commitment to facilitate pilgrims at a time when the cost of everything is going upwards.”
Farzana Saeed, a pilgrim from Gujranwala, praised the Saudi government for taking care of the holiest Muslim cities and providing necessary facilities to all pilgrims.
“We have been informed that despite the reduction in the insurance cost, the coverage benefits offered by the Saudi authorities will remain the same,” she told Arab News over the phone. “It is so heartening to see how the Saudi government is taking steps to the ease pilgrimage for everyone.”
‘Generous gesture’: Pakistani officials, pilgrims praise Saudi authorities for reducing Umrah insurance cost
https://arab.news/23xku
‘Generous gesture’: Pakistani officials, pilgrims praise Saudi authorities for reducing Umrah insurance cost
- The kingdom’s ministry of Hajj and Umrah has decreased the comprehensive insurance rate by 63 percent
- Saudis have also started allowing pilgrims to visit places other than Makkah, Madinah on their visa for Umrah
UN torture expert decries Pakistan ex-PM Khan’s detention
- Khan’s party alleges government is holding him in solitary confinement, barring prison visits
- Pakistan’s government rejects allegations former premier is being denied basic rights in prison
GENEVA: Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan is being held in conditions that could amount to torture and other inhuman or degrading treatment, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on torture warned Friday.
Alice Jill Edwards urged Pakistan to take immediate and effective action to address reports of the 73-year-old’s inhumane and undignified detention conditions.
“I call on Pakistani authorities to ensure that Khan’s conditions of detention fully comply with international norms and standards,” Edwards said in a statement.
“Since his transfer to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on September 26, 2023, Imran Khan has reportedly been held for excessive periods in solitary confinement, confined for 23 hours a day in his cell, and with highly restricted access to the outside world,” she said.
“His cell is reportedly under constant camera surveillance.”
Khan an all-rounder who captained Pakistan to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup, upended Pakistani politics by becoming the prime minister in 2018.
Edwards said prolonged or indefinite solitary confinement is prohibited under international human rights law and constitutes a form of psychological torture when it lasts longer than 15 days.
“Khan’s solitary confinement should be lifted without delay. Not only is it an unlawful measure, extended isolation can bring about very harmful consequences for his physical and mental health,” she said.
UN special rapporteurs are independent experts mandated by the Human Rights Council. They do not, therefore, speak for the United Nations itself.
Initially a strong backer of the country’s powerful military leadership, Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in 2022, and has since been jailed on a slew of corruption charges that he denies.
He has accused the military of orchestrating his downfall and pursuing his Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and its allies.
Khan’s supporters say he is being denied prison visits from lawyers and family after a fiery social media post this month accusing army leader Field Marshal Asim Munir of persecuting him.
According to information Edwards has received, visits from Khan’s lawyers and relatives are frequently interrupted or ended prematurely, while he is held in a small cell lacking natural light and adequate ventilation.
“Anyone deprived of liberty must be treated with humanity and dignity,” the UN expert said.
“Detention conditions must reflect the individual’s age and health situation, including appropriate sleeping arrangements, climatic protection, adequate space, lighting, heating, and ventilation.”
Edwards has raised Khan’s situation with the Pakistani government.
