KARACHI: A 12-member delegation of Saudi officials visited the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on Tuesday to explore the possibility of extending the Makkah Route Initiative to the country’s southern port city to facilitate local Hajj pilgrims this year.
Launched as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan, the initiative allows for the completion of immigration procedures at the pilgrim’s country of departure, making it possible to bypass long immigration and customs checks upon reaching Saudi Arabia, which significantly reduces the waiting time and makes the entry process smoother and faster.
Pakistani pilgrims performing Hajj under the government scheme have been availing this facility at the airport in Islamabad for the last couple of years. But the government wants the initiative to be extended to other cities as well.
“In order to facilitate the intending pilgrims, the high-level delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia comprising 12 VVIPs [very, very important personalities] arrived today at JIAP [Jinnah International Airport], Karachi, at 7.30 a.m. on 5th March, 2024 for extension of route to Makkah project from Karachi,” the Hajj Directorate in Karachi announced in a statement.
The delegation arrived at the airport to survey a site to be allocated by Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) for the Makkah Route Initiative, the Hajj Directorate in Karachi added.
It said that after the joint survey by Saudi and Pakistani officials was conducted, a “high-level meeting” took place at the CAA which was attended by Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki and the Saudi delegation.
From the Pakistani side, the delegation comprised Syed Ata ur Rehman, the secretary of religious affairs and Sajjad Haider Yaldram, joint secretary of Hajj in Pakistan, as well as Karachi Hajj Director Gulzar Soomro. Representatives of Pakistan’s Customs, Airport Security Force, Immigration and Anti-Narcotics Force also attended the meeting.
Pakistani authorities last year said they were hoping for the Saudi authorities to extend the initiative to two additional airports in Karachi and Lahore.
They also informed that Saudi delegations would visit the two cities ahead of the next Hajj season.
Saudi Arabia last year restored Pakistan’s pre-pandemic Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims and abolished the upper age limit of 65 years. More than 81,000 Pakistani pilgrims performed Hajj under the government scheme in 2023, while the rest used private tour operators.
This year’s pilgrimage is expected to run from June 14 till June 19.
Saudi delegation evaluates Karachi airport for Makkah Route Initiative’s expansion to ease Hajj journey
https://arab.news/j7e6u
Saudi delegation evaluates Karachi airport for Makkah Route Initiative’s expansion to ease Hajj journey
- The initiative allows aspiring pilgrims to complete the immigration procedures at their country of departure
- Local pilgrims flying out of Islamabad have already been availing this facility for the last couple of years
Pakistan considers Chinese nationals’ security its ‘core responsibility,’ says interior minister
- Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi meets Chinese Consul General Zhao Shiren in Islamabad
- A suicide attack in northwestern Pakistan last month killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi this week assured China’s consul general that the security of Chinese nationals in the South Asian country is Pakistan’s “core responsibility,” state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said, as Islamabad looks to bolster security of foreign nationals amid a surge in attacks.
Pakistan says it has taken steps to enhance Chinese nationals’ security in the country after a suicide bomber last month attacked a convoy of Chinese engineers working on a hydropower project in the northwestern town of Dasu. Five Chinese engineers and their Pakistani driver were killed in the attack.
The attack was the third major one in a little over a week on China’s interests in the South Asian nation, where Beijing has invested over $65 billion in energy, infrastructure and other projects as part of its wider Belt and Road initiative.
“Chinese nationals’ safety is our core responsibility, instructions have been issued to the concerned agencies to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens,” Naqvi told Chinese Consul General Zhao Shiren during a meeting in Islamabad on Saturday.
“The minister informed about the measures taken about the security of Chinese citizens, adding that it is our national responsibility.”
The minister assured Shiren that Pakistani authorities would not allow conspiracies to harm Pakistan’s friendship with China.
Meanwhile, the Chinese envoy said the two countries were all-weather friends.
Chinese interests in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province have also been under attack primarily by the militants, who seek to push Beijing out of the mineral-rich territory.
Pakistan is home to an insurgency launched by ethnic Baloch separatists who seek secession from the central government in the country, blaming it for the inequitable division of natural resources in the southwestern Balochistan province. The government denies this.
Pakistan to conduct week-long polio vaccination drive in Sindh, KP from Apr. 29
- Campaign to begin in 25 districts of Sindh, 13 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, says state media
- Eight million children in Sindh, 2.8 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to be vaccinated during campaign
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government will conduct a week-long polio immunization program in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southern Sindh provinces from Apr. 29, the state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Sunday.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where the poliovirus, which causes paralysis and can be a life-threatening disease, is endemic.
“A week-long National Immunization Campaign will begin in twenty-five districts of Sindh and thirteen districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from tomorrow,” Radio Pakistan said in a report.
Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah chaired a meeting of the Provincial Task Force for Eradication of Polio in Karachi on Saturday. Shah directed all district administrations to cooperate with the polio teams and make the drive successful, the report said.
“The meeting was informed that around eight million children up to the age of five years would be administered anti-polio vaccines during the campaign,” the report said.
Meanwhile, over 2.8 million children will be administered anti-polio drops during the drive, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Emergency Operation Center said.
“Twenty-one thousand teams have been constituted for this purpose,” the report added.
Pakistan’s efforts to contain polio have often been met with opposition, especially in the country’s northwestern KP province, where militants have carried out attacks against vaccinators and the security teams guarding them.
Many believe in the conspiracy theory that polio vaccines are part of a plot by Western outsiders to sterilize Pakistan’s population.
Pakistani masses’ doubts regarding polio campaigns were exacerbated in 2011 when the US Central Intelligence Agency set up a fake hepatitis vaccination program to gather intelligence on former Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
Six-day ‘Study in Dubai’ fair highlights UAE’s growing appeal to Pakistani students
- Foreign student enrollment has increased in Dubai since the launch of its education policy over six years ago
- Educational professionals say Dubai is competing with traditional destinations like the US, UK and Australia
ISLAMABAD: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has gained traction as a major higher education destination for Pakistani students, university representatives and local admissions professionals noted this week, as the six-day “Study in Dubai” fair concluded in Lahore on Saturday after touring various cities.
Dubai has seen a significant increase in foreign student enrollments since the launch of the UAE National Strategy for Higher Education 2030 more than six years ago. UAE authorities reported this month international enrollments have risen by 25 percent since the 2022-23 academic year, including a seven percent increase among Pakistani students.
Education professionals believe Dubai is increasingly competing with traditional education destinations such as the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.
“What we have observed is that Pakistani students have started moving toward the Emirates,” Muhammad Shoaib told Arab News on Tuesday when the education fair was held in Rawalpindi.
“This is particularly because there have been some policy changes in the mainstream destinations, like Canada, Australia and the UK,” he continued. “Furthermore, we have seen that many reputable universities from the US, UK and Australia have started opening their campuses in Dubai.”
Dubai is currently home to 45 private universities offering over 650 programs, with degrees in business, engineering, information technology and media being the most sought-after among students.
Several top-ranking institutions of learning, including New York University, University of Birmingham, and Australia’s Curtin University, have opened their campuses there in recent years.
Wali-Ur-Rehman, the country manager for Curtin University’s Dubai campus in Pakistan, said the growth in international enrollment was due to increased postgraduate funding and greater job opportunities for those pursuing higher education in Dubai.
“We have seen a massive growth, from 2023 to 2024, of 40 percent [in terms of student applications] in the [Dubai] market, coming from Pakistan especially,” he said.
Daniyal Ahmed, a 19-year-old aspiring candidate for study in Dubai, described the UAE as an “ideal option” for him due to its proximity to Pakistan.
“Dubai has well-known universities now, like New York University and Khalifa University, which are performing quite well,” he said.
Asked about the traditional destinations preferred by students pursuing higher education, he said Pakistanis were beginning to face difficulties in securing visas to go to European universities.
Ahmed also mentioned Dubai’s education strategy, saying it included an expanded professional experience initiative, providing a variety of career training programs to students, such as on-campus work, job shadowing, joint ventures and vocational training.
Pakistan’s PM Sharif to kick off World Economic Forum engagements in Riyadh today
- PM Shehbaz Sharif is in Riyadh to attend two-day World Economic Forum meeting on global growth and energy
- Sharif to meet Saudi leadership, world leaders and heads of international organizations during conference
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation will kick off their World Economic Forum engagements in Riyadh today, Sunday, as they gear up to present Pakistan’s priorities on key issues such as global health, energy and economic growth, his office said.
Sharif arrived in Riyadh on Saturday to attend a two-day WEF meeting on global collaboration, growth and energy, which will be held in the Saudi capital from April 28-29.
The prime minister was extended an invitation to attend the meeting by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Professor Klaus Schwab, the WEF executive chairman.
“PM Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation will present Pakistan’s priorities in global health, fintech, climate change, inclusive energy and rejuvenating growth,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement on social media platform X.
It added Sharif would meet the Saudi leadership, world leaders, heads of international organizations and prominent figures during his stay in the country.
“Look forward to important discussions on pressing challenges of our times,” the Pakistani prime minister posted from his X account separately on Sunday.
Prior to Sharif’s departure, the PM Office said he would be accompanied by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.
It said Sharif’s participation in the forum will afford Pakistan an opportunity to highlight its priorities in global health architecture, inclusive growth, revitalizing regional collaboration, and the need for striking a balance between promoting growth and energy consumption.
Sharif met Adviser at the Royal Court of Saudi Arabia and General Secretary of Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council Mohammed bin Mazyad Al-Tuwaijri on Saturday to discuss economic cooperation between the two countries.
The two sides reviewed the progress on the Saudi investment in Pakistan, which came under discussion during the visit of the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan recently to Pakistan.
“Al-Tuwaijri and his delegation expressed deep interest in the Saudi investment by the Saudi government and companies in Pakistan,” the state-run APP said.
The prime minister will also attend the 15th session of the Islamic Summit Conference organized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on May 4-5 in the Gambian capital of Banjul to discuss a variety of regional and global issues, including Palestine, Islamophobia, climate change and the status of minorities, the Pakistani state-run APP news agency reported.
The session will be held under the slogan “Enhancing Unity and Solidarity through Dialogue for Sustainable Development,” according to a press release issued by the OIC General Secretariat.
The Islamic Summit is a principal organ of the OIC focused on the formulation, development, and implementation of decisions made by 57 member states. It is attended by concerned heads of state such as prime ministers, presidents, emirs and other equivalent heads.
Security forces kill one militant, injure another in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan
- The operation was carried out while militants were trying to stop passenger vehicles in Harnai district
- Baloch militants killed nine migrant laborers from Punjab in March after stopping a bus in Noshki
ISLAMABAD: Security forces in Pakistan killed one militant and injured another in the country’s southwestern Balochistan province, said the military’s media wing, ISPR, on Saturday, while they were trying to stop passenger vehicles in Harnai district.
Earlier this month, armed assailants intercepted a bus traveling from Quetta to Taftan near the city of Noshki, singling out nine passengers, who were later identified as migrant laborers from Punjab province, and shot them.
Balochistan’s Harnai district has also witnessed militant violence, with an improvised explosive device killing one employee of Mari Petroleum and injuring 14 others in March 30.
“On 27 April 24, a fire exchange took place between security forces and terrorists in Harnai District of Balochistan,” the ISPR said. “The terrorists tried to stop passenger vehicles plying on Sanjavi Road, Harnai. Security Forces reacted immediately and effectively engaged the terrorists.”
The statement mentioned that one militant was killed and another injured during the fire exchange.
“The timely response by the security forces thwarted nefarious intent of the terrorists, saving innocent lives,” the statement added. “Sanitization operation is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area.”
Balochistan has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency by separatist groups who accuse the state of denying the people of the province of their share in its vast mineral wealth.
The government has frequently denied the allegation, saying it is carrying out a number of development projects for the prosperity of Baloch nationals.
