ISLAMABAD: The remains of nine Pakistanis killed by unidentified gunmen in a border area of Iran last week have been airlifted to Pakistan, the foreign office said on Wednesday.
The Pakistanis were laborers who lived at an auto repair shop where they worked. No group has claimed responsibility for the killings, which occurred in Saravan in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province on Saturday, ahead of a planned visit this Monday to Pakistan by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.
Iran and Pakistan have been trying to mend ties since both countries traded missile strikes aimed at what they said were militant targets inside each other’s territory earlier this month.
“The mortal remains of nine Pakistani nationals, who were killed in a terrorist attack in Sistan o Baluchestan Province of Iran on 27 January 2024, are being airlifted today from Taftan border to [Pakistani city of ] Multan,” the foreign ministry’s spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones.”
During his visit to Pakistan on Monday, Iranian FM Abdollahian said militants harboring along a shared border with Pakistan were supported by “third countries,” but would be defeated through “joint cooperation.”
Pakistan has long accused rivals and neighboring Afghanistan and India of stoking unrest in its southwestern Balochistan province that borders Iran. Both deny the charge. Islamabad and Tehran have also frequently exchanged accusations of turning a blind eye to militants harboring along their shared border.
Pakistan says remains of nine workers killed in Iran last week being brought home
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Pakistan says remains of nine workers killed in Iran last week being brought home
- Unidentified gunmen killed nine Pakistani workers on Jan. 27 in Iran’s southeastern border area of Saravan
- Bodies of deceased Pakistani workers being airlifted from Taftan border to Multan, foreign office says
Pakistan urges Hajj pilgrims to complete Saudi biometrics till Sunday
- Saudi Arabia has allocated Pakistan a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for this year’s Hajj
- Saudi biometric verification is mandatory for issuance of Hajj visas, ministry says
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani religious affairs ministry has urged aspiring Hajj pilgrims to complete mandatory Saudi biometric verification for Hajj visas by Sunday, Pakistani state media reported, with preparations for the 2026 pilgrimage gathering pace following stricter oversight of the Hajj process.
Saudi Arabia has allocated Pakistan a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for Hajj 2026, with the majority of seats reserved under the government scheme and the remainder allocated to private tour operators.
Regulations for private Hajj operators have been tightened and their quota reduced following widespread complaints last year, when tens of thousands of pilgrims were unable to travel under the private Hajj scheme.
The Pakistani religious affairs ministry said last month that Saudi biometric verification is mandatory for the issuance of Hajj visas and pilgrims should complete it at home using the ‘Saudi Visa Bio’ app.
“Hajj visas will not be issued without biometrics, however pilgrims over 80 years of age are exempted from biometrics,” the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported, citing the religious affairs ministry.
Pakistan has been steadily implementing digital and procedural requirements for pilgrims ahead of Hajj 2026, including mandatory training sessions, biometric checks and greater use of mobile applications, as part of efforts to reduce mismanagement.
Pilgrims who were unable to complete biometric verification through the mobile application should visit designated Saudi Tasheer centers before Feb. 8, according to the religious affairs ministry.
Details of the centers are available on Pakistan’s official Hajj mobile application. Tasheer centers will remain open from 9am to 5pm today and on Sunday to facilitate Hajj pilgrims, it added.
