ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday he was optimistic that Saudi Arabia’s Makkah Route Initiative, which was recently launched in the federal capital to facilitate over 26,000 Pakistani pilgrims, would also be expanded to other cities next year.
The statement comes a day after Pakistan’s religious affairs minister Senator Talha Mahmood and Saudi ambassador Nawaf bin Said-Al Malki formally launched the project at the Islamabad International Airport.
The Makkah Route Initiative is part of Saudi Arabia’s Guests of God Service Program, which King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud inaugurated in 2019 under Vision 2030 to diversify the kingdom’s economy. Under the scheme, Hajj pilgrims go through immigration process at the airports of their own countries before departing for Saudi Arabia.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday briefed the members of his cabinet on the details of the Road to Makkah agreement signed with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, which will benefit a large number of Pakistani pilgrims,” said a statement released by the PM Office.
“The prime minister has expressed the hope that after its launch at the Islamabad airport yesterday, this facility, with the support of the Saudi government, will also be provided to pilgrims going to the kingdom from Lahore and Karachi next year.”
Following the launch of the initiative, Pakistan’s religious affairs minister said the immigration of pilgrims would take place in their own country, adding they would be able to exit Saudi airports upon arrival without having to go through the same process again.
Mahmood added the Saudi deputy interior minister, Dr. Nasser Al-Dawood, who visited Pakistan this week to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with officials in Islamabad, had promised to extend the Makkah Route Initiative to at least two to three more Pakistani cities.
“These include Lahore, Karachi, and Peshawar airports as they [Saudis] need time since a lot of preparation, including equipment and staff, is required for each airport,” he explained.
Mahmood also said the first Hajj flight would depart from Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi at 4:50 pm on May 21 and land in Madinah.
PM hopes Makkah Route Initiative will be expanded to Pakistani cities beyond capital
https://arab.news/83cgk
PM hopes Makkah Route Initiative will be expanded to Pakistani cities beyond capital
- The initiative allows Hajj pilgrims to undergo immigration process in their home country before leaving for Saudi Arabia
- It was formally launched at the Islamabad airport where to help facilitate more than 26,000 pilgrims this Hajj season
Punjab expands Pakistan-India Wagah border arena with museum, partition-themed park
- The border crossing, near eastern city of Lahore, is the primary land route between Pakistan and India and one of the most recognizable symbols of their often-tense relations
- The site is best known for its daily flag-lowering ceremony, a choreographed military ritual performed by border forces from both countries that draws thousands of spectators
ISLAMABAD: Maryam Nawaz, chief minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province, on Thursday inaugurated the newly constructed arena at Wagah border cross between Pakistan and India, which includes a museum and a partition themed park.
The Wagah border crossing, located near the eastern city of Lahore, is the primary land route between Pakistan and India and one of the most recognizable symbols of the often-tense relationship between the two neighbors. It serves as a key point for prisoner exchanges and limited movement of travelers, while remaining tightly regulated due to security considerations.
The site is best known for its daily flag-lowering ceremony, a choreographed military ritual performed by border forces from both countries that draws thousands of spectators. Over the years, the ceremony has evolved into a popular tourist attraction, blending displays of nationalism with public spectacle and making it one of Pakistan’s most visited landmarks, which connects with India’s Attari.
Flanked by military officials, CM Nawaz visited the crossing and inaugurated the new arena, with its seating capacity increased from 7,500 to 25,000 spectators, the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported. The chief minister also visited the martyrs’ monument and offered her respects.
“In addition to the arena’s expansion, several new constructions have been added at the Joint Check Post Wagah. These new developments include a theme park depicting the partition of the Subcontinent, featuring models of a railway station, military equipment and a Martyrs’ Memorial,” the broadcaster reported.
“A Pakistan Museum has also been established within the arena, showcasing the country’s history and culture from the Freedom Movement to the present day.”
In August 1947, Britain divided the Indian Sub-continent, its former colony, into two countries — Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan.
Excitement over independence was quickly overshadowed by some of the worst bloodletting that left up to 1 million people dead as gangs of Hindus and Muslims slaughtered each other.
Creating two independent nations also tore apart millions of Hindu and Muslim families in one of the world’s largest peacetime migrations, which displaced at least 15 million people.
The fate of Kashmir, then a princely state, was left undecided. The Himalayan territory continues to remain a flashpoint in relations between the neighbors, who have fought multiple wars over it.
