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
Islamabad steps up vehicle checks to boost security as 166,000 cars get electronic tags
- Authorities say over 3,000 vehicles registered in past 24 hours as enforcement intensifies
- Extended service hours introduced to push full compliance with digital monitoring system
ISLAMABAD: Authorities in the Pakistani capital have intensified enforcement against vehicles without mandatory electronic tags with more than 166,000 cars now registered, according to data released on Sunday evening, as Islamabad moves to strengthen security and digital monitoring at key entry and exit points.
The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration introduced the electronic tagging system late last year as part of a broader effort to regulate traffic, improve record-keeping and enhance surveillance in a city that hosts the country’s main government institutions, foreign missions and diplomatic enclaves.
Under the system, vehicles are fitted with electronic tags that can be read automatically by scanners installed at checkpoints across the capital, allowing authorities to identify unregistered vehicles without manual inspections. Vehicles already equipped with a motorway tag, or m-tag, are exempt from the requirement.
“A total of 166,888 vehicles have successfully been issued M-Tags so far, including 3,130 vehicles in the last 24 hours,” the ICT administration said, according to the Excise Department.
Officials said readers installed at checkpoints across Islamabad are fully operational and are being used to stop vehicles still without tags, as enforcement teams carry out checks across the city.
To facilitate compliance, authorities have expanded installation facilities and extended operating hours. The Excise Department said m-tag installation is currently available at 17 booth locations, while select centers have begun operating beyond normal working hours.
According to Director General Excise Irfan Memon, m-tag centers at 26 Number Chungi and 18 Meel are providing services round the clock, while counters at Kachnar Park and F-9 Park remain open until midnight to accommodate motorists unable to visit during daytime hours.
Officials said the combination of enforcement and facilitation was aimed at achieving full compliance with minimal disruption, adding that operations would continue until all vehicles operating in the capital are brought into the system.
The enforcement drive builds on a wider push by the federal government to integrate traffic management, emergency response and security monitoring through technology-driven “safe city” initiatives. Last month, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi reviewed Islamabad’s surveillance infrastructure and said reforms in monitoring systems and the effective use of technology were the “need of the hour.”
Authorities have urged motorists to obtain electronic tags promptly to avoid delays and penalties at checkpoints as enforcement continues across the capital.
