ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Hajj Mission (PHM) has been conducting regular inspections of kitchens run by catering companies to ensure a hygienic food supply to pilgrims arriving in the Kingdom to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage under the government’s scheme, Pakistani state media reported on Monday.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and requires every adult Muslim to undertake the journey to the holy Islamic sites in Makkah at least once in their lifetime if they are financially and physically able.
Pakistan has a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims this year, of which around 70,000 people will perform the pilgrimage under the government scheme, while the rest will use private tour operators.
“Determined to maintain quality and hygiene, the PHM is conducting regular and periodic inspections of catering companies’ kitchens,” the state-run APP news agency reported.
A total of nine catering companies were hired to meet the demand of food for approximately 70,105 pilgrims, out of which more than 52,691 have so far arrived in Saudi Arabia via 205 flights since May 9, according to the report.
On Monday, Pakistan Hajj Mission Director in Makkah Faheem Afridi visited kitchens and stores of one of these nine catering companies responsible for preparing breakfast for Pakistani pilgrims.
Afridi said the Hajj mission was implementing an “effective mechanism to ensure food quality, with continuous oversight during food preparation and round-the-clock monitoring of kitchens by Pakistani food coordinators.”
The quality and quantity of food are rechecked when delivered to residential buildings and hotels where the pilgrims have been staying, according to the report. The daily menu includes Pakistani and continental cuisines, which are served thrice a day during flexible timings to avoid any kind of rush.
The PHM director said the mission had imposed penalties on catering firms that failed to ensure the quality of food.
“There have been a total of 13 penalties imposed on eight catering companies so far, most of which were aimed at improving food quality,” he said.
“If any complaints are received regarding meals through the Pak Hajj mobile app or helpline, the catering company is investigated and immediate action is taken.”
The Pakistani religious affairs ministry formed a balanced food menu keeping in view its experience of previous years, according to the official. The food includes meat, lentils, vegetables, rice, two types of bread, yoghurt, fruit, sweets, tea and water.
The Hajj director said Saudi authorities also ensured food quality and hygiene standards for catering companies, requesting pilgrims to cooperate with catering staff and ensure discipline.
On the other hand, a 400-member dedicated Pakistan Hajj Medical Mission (PHMM) is also working around the clock to serve Pakistani pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan has established two hospitals and 11 dispensaries in the Saudi cities of Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah to provide health care to Hajj pilgrims.
This year’s pilgrimage is expected to run from June 14 to June 19. Pakistan’s pre-Hajj flight operation, which began on May 9, will continue until June 9.
Pakistan Hajj Mission ensures hygienic food supply to pilgrims through regular inspections
https://arab.news/r48y7
Pakistan Hajj Mission ensures hygienic food supply to pilgrims through regular inspections
- Hajj Director Faheem Afridi says a total of 13 penalties have been imposed on eight catering firms to improve their service
- Pakistan has hired nine catering companies to fulfil demand of food for approximately 70,105 pilgrims under government scheme
Pakistan prepares for early rollout of Hajj 2026 registration
- Move follows directive from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah
- Pakistan sent more than 115,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for Hajj 2025
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs is finalizing preparations to launch early registration for both private and government Hajj 2026 schemes to streamline the pilgrimage process, state media reported on Wednesday.
The move follows a directive from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to begin preparations for Hajj 2026 well in advance.
This year’s Hajj pilgrimage took place from June 4 to June 9, drawing millions of worshippers to Islam’s holiest sites in Saudi Arabia. Pakistan sent more than 115,000 pilgrims under both government and private schemes.
“The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony is finalizing preparations to begin early registration for Hajj 2026 within the next few days,” the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
It added that advance registration would be mandatory for all intending pilgrims under both the government and private schemes and applicants would have to submit a specified token amount with their registration forms, which would later be adjusted against the total Hajj package cost.
Only designated banks will be authorized to handle registrations, which will be a prerequisite for eligibility under the Hajj 2026 program, APP said.
Pilgrims will be able to choose between the government and private Hajj schemes after completing the initial registration process.
Individuals who missed this year’s Hajj under the private scheme must complete a fresh registration to be eligible for Hajj 2026, according to the APP report.
“The registration data will be shared with the Saudi authorities, who will use it to allocate Pakistan’s official Hajj quota,” APP said.
A formal advertisement detailing the registration procedure and eligibility requirements will be issued in the coming days.
Pakistan’s Director General Hajj, Abdul Wahab Soomro, said this week the government would strive to make next year’s pilgrimage “even better” for pilgrims, with improved facilities, especially for the elderly.
Pakistan began its post-Hajj flight operations on June 11 with the arrival of a Pakistan International Airlines flight, PK-732, in Islamabad carrying 307 pilgrims. The flights are expected to conclude by July 10.
According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, more than 11,400 pilgrims, including around 3,000 from Madinah, have returned to Pakistan so far.
At least 60 migrants, including Pakistanis and Egyptians, feared dead after Libya shipwrecks
- First ship went down on June 12 near port in Tripoli, with 21 people reported missing and only five survivors found
- Second wreck took place about 35km off the port city of Tobruk, with sole survivor reporting 39 people lost at sea
TRIPOLI, Libya: At least 60 migrants including Pakistanis and Egyptians are feared dead after a pair of shipwrecks off the coast of Libya over the past week, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The first ship went down on June 12 near a Libyan port in Tripoli, with 21 people, including women and children, reported missing and only five survivors found, the IOM said in a statement Tuesday.
Those lost at sea included Eritrean, Pakistani, Egyptian and Sudanese nationals.
The second wreck took place about 35 kilometers (20 miles) off the port city of Tobruk, with the sole survivor reporting 39 people lost at sea, according to the UN body.
“With dozens feared dead and entire families left in anguish, IOM is once again urging the international community to scale up search and rescue operations and guarantee safe, predictable disembarkation for survivors,” said Othman Belbeisi, the IOM’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.
According to the statement, at least 743 people have died so far this year trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.
The deadly route, it said, is “marked by increasingly dangerous smuggling practices, limited rescue capacity and growing restrictions on humanitarian operations.”
As of June 15, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, migrant landings on the Italian coast were up 15 percent year on year, with most originating in Libya.
Pakistan’s army chief meets Trump at White House amid tensions with India, Iran-Israel conflict
- Two-hour-long meeting took place amid renewed fears fighting between Israel and Iran could spill over, destabilizing wider region
- Trump and Munir also discussed cooperation in trade, economic development, critical minerals, AI, crypto, energy, IT
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, has held a rare and extended meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, the military said on Thursday, a high-level engagement that underscores Islamabad’s deepening security and economic dialogue with Washington.
This was the first time in many years that a Pakistani army chief was hosted by a sitting US president at the White House, highlighting Washington’s renewed interest in maintaining influence in South Asia as regional tensions flare.
According to a statement from Pakistan’s military, Munir met Trump at a luncheon in the Cabinet Room on Wednesday before visiting the Oval Office, accompanied by Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Lt Gen Asim Malik, who is also currently serving as the director general of the country’s premier intelligence agency, the ISI. On the US side, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Representative for Middle Eastern Affairs Steve Witkoff joined the discussions.
During the meeting, Munir conveyed Pakistan’s “deep appreciation” for Trump’s role in brokering a ceasefire that ended last month’s flare-up between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India — the most intense fighting between the neighbors in decades. From May 7-10, the two militaries exchanged drones, missiles and artillery fire before Trump announced a truce.
“During the meeting, the Chief of Army Staff conveyed the deep appreciation of the Government and people of Pakistan for President Trump’s constructive and result-oriented role in facilitating a ceasefire between Pakistan and India in the recent regional crisis,” the military statement said.
The army chief also acknowledged President Trump’s “statesmanship and his ability to comprehend and address the multifaceted challenges faced by the global community.”
The military statement added that Trump praised Pakistan’s counter-terrorism cooperation and lauded Munir’s “leadership and decisiveness” during a period of complex security challenges, including the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.
The meeting is being widely seen as a rare direct engagement that signals a cautious thaw in ties between the two countries under Trump’s second presidency.
Pakistan’s powerful military plays a central role in shaping the country’s foreign and security policies. Direct outreach to its top commander reflects Washington’s effort to manage key regional security issues, including the aftermath of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, tensions between Pakistan and India after their deadly military exchanges last month, and the broader fallout of the escalating Israel-Iran confrontation.
Security analysts say the meeting also reflects Washington’s renewed effort to maintain its influence in a region where Beijing’s footprint is steadily expanding through infrastructure investment and defense ties with Islamabad.
ECONOMIC TIES
Trump and Munir also discussed expanding cooperation in trade, economic development, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, energy and emerging technologies — areas traditionally handled by civilian governments.
Analysts note that in recent years, Pakistan’s powerful army, known for its dominance in politics, has steadily expanded its influence beyond security and politics into economic and financial management, especially through bodies such as the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) — a civil-military platform that oversees major economic initiatives and foreign investment deals. Munir’s direct discussions on economic and technological partnerships with the US president are being seen by independent observers as further evidence of the military’s outsized role in shaping Pakistan’s economic agenda.
Trump told reporters after the talks he was “honored” to host Munir and confirmed that the Iran-Israel crisis had been discussed. He also said he wanted to thank the Pakistani commander for preventing the standoff with India from escalating further.
Munir, who has recently been elevated to Field Marshal in recognition of what the government called his “strategic brilliance” during the India clashes in May, extended an invitation for Trump to visit Pakistan, according to the statement. The White House has not commented on whether the president has accepted the invitation.
The meeting, initially scheduled for one hour but running for over two, took place amid renewed fears that fighting between Israel and Iran, now well into its seventh day, could spill over and destabilize the wider region, including Pakistan’s western border with Iran.
Pakistan has repeatedly called for de-escalation and a peaceful resolution to the crisis, while maintaining close ties with Tehran and Gulf allies, and expressing sympathy for the Palestinian cause amid an ongoing Israeli military offensive in the besieged enclave.
“Well, they [Pakistan] know Iran very well, better than most, and they’re not happy about anything [Iran-Israel conflict],” Trump said in response to a question by a reporter after his meeting with Munir on whether Iran came up in the discussions.
“It’s not that they’re better with Israel. They [Pakistan] know them both actually, but they probably, maybe, know Iran better, but they [Pakistan] see what’s going on. And he [Field Marshal General Asim Munir] agreed with me.”
Trump did not specify what the Pakistani general had agreed with him on.
Arif Habib Group submits bid as deadline nears for expressions of interest in PIA stake sale
- Chairman of group says going into process as consortium of Arif Habib Corporation, Fatima Fertilizers, Lake City Holdings, City Schools Group
- Islamabad is trying to offload 51-100 percent stakes in PIA under ongoing $7 billion IMF program to overhaul loss-making state-owned firms
ISLAMABAD: The chairman of the Arif Habib Group, a prominent Pakistani conglomerate with diversified interests across various sectors, said on Thursday the consortium had submitted its bid to acquire a stake in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the country’s loss-making national flag carrier.
Expressions of interest are due today, Thursday, for an up to 100 percent stake in PIA as the government moves forward with a long-delayed privatization plan aimed at easing pressure on its strained public finances.
The sale of PIA will be the first major privatization for around two decades. Turning around loss-making state-owned enterprises is a condition of an ongoing $7 billion bailout by the International Monetary Fund.
The government tried unsuccessfully to last year offload a stake in PIA, which is a major burden on its budget, but the sale was aborted because of the poor state of the airline and the conditions attached to any purchase.
“We have submitted our bid for acquiring the PIA stake,” Arib Habib, the chairman of Arif Habib Group, told Arab News.
The group has a broad portfolio encompassing financial services, including brokerage and investment banking, fertilizers, cement, steel, real estate development, energy, and more. Some of its notable subsidiaries include Arif Habib Limited (AHL), Fatima Fertilizer Company Limited, Aisha Steel Mills Limited, Javedan Corporation Limited, and Sachal Wind Power.
“This time we are going into this process as a consortium that includes Arif Habib Corporation, Fatima Fertilizers Ltd., Lack City Holdings and City Schools Group.”
In an advertisement issued by the government last month, it had said the deadline for the submission of expressions of interest and Statements of Qualification for the “Divestment of Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Limited through privatization” had been extended to 4pm hours on Thursday, June 19, 2025. It did not provide a reason for the extension.
No changes had been made to the remaining terms and conditions, the privatization commission had said.
In April 2025, the commission invited expressions of interest from domestic and international investors to acquire a majority stake, ranging from 51 percent to 100 percent, in PIA, initially setting a submission deadline of Tuesday, June 3, 2025.
According to the public notice, each EOI must be accompanied by a non-refundable processing fee of $5,000 or Rs1.4 million, with consortia required to pay the fee through any one member. Eligible bidders include legal entities such as companies, firms, and corporate bodies, either individually or as part of a consortium.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that among those planning bids are Pakistani conglomerate the Yunus Brothers Group, owners of the Lucky Cement and energy companies, and a consortium led by Arif Habib Limited. Fauji Fertilizer Company, which is part-owned by the military, has also said it will be making an expression of interest.
“The board … has approved submission of an expression of interest and pre-qualification documents to the Privatization Commission … and undertaking a comprehensive due-diligence exercise,” FFC said in a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange this week.
FFC is Pakistan’s biggest fertilizer maker and has diversified interests in energy, food and finance. Any deal on PIA would expand the military group’s footprint into aviation, though final terms will hinge on the government’s privatization process and regulatory approvals.
A group of PIA employees has also come forward to bid.
“The employees will use their provident fund and pension, in addition to finding an investor to place a bid. We’re doing this to save jobs and turn around the company,” Hidayatullah Khan, president of the airline’s Senior Staff Association, told Reuters this week.
This is Pakistan’s second attempt to sell PIA.
A 2024 auction drew only one offer – Rs10 billion ($36 million) for 60 percent of the airline from real-estate developer Blue World City – far below the government’s Rs85 billion ($305 million) floor price, and was rejected.
Pakistan had offloaded nearly 80 percent of the airline’s legacy debt and shifted it to government books ahead of the privatization attempt. The rest of the debt was also cleaned out of the airline’s accounts after the failed sale attempt to make it more attractive to potential buyers, according to the country’s privatization ministry.
In April, PIA posted an operating profit of Rs9.3 billion ($33.1 million) for 2024, its first in 21 years.
The airline has for years survived on government bailouts as its operational earnings were eaten up by debt servicing costs.
Officials say offloading the debt burden and recent reforms like shedding staff, exiting unprofitable routes and other cost-cutting measures led to the profitable year.
Ahead of the attempt to sell the airline last year, PIA had faced threats of being shut down, with planes impounded at international airports over its failure to pay bills and flights canceled due to a shortage of funds to pay for fuel or spare parts.
With inputs from Reuters
Missiles in the sky, prayers in their hearts: Pakistanis recount perilous journey home from Iran
- Hundreds of Pakistani pilgrims, students and workers were stranded after Iran’s airspace closed following Israeli attacks
- Israel launched series of strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites on June 13, triggering retaliatory missile strikes by Iran
ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of Pakistani pilgrims, students and workers have finally made it back home from Iran this week, telling stories of tense roads, sleepless nights and missiles flashing overhead as the conflict between Israel and Iran pushes the region to the brink of wider war.
A week of Israeli air and missile strikes against its major rival that started on June 13 has wiped out the top echelon of Iran’s military command, damaged its nuclear capabilities and killed hundreds of people, while Iranian retaliatory strikes have killed two dozen civilians in Israel.
In the immediate aftermath of Friday’s attacks, Iran closed its airspace to commercial traffic, leaving hundreds of expats, including Pakistani pilgrims, students and workers, stranded.
For Hassan Raza, a 22-year-old student at Al-Mustafa International University in Qom, the abrupt closure of the skies turned an ordinary day into a marathon journey through the heart of a country on edge.
“When Israel attacked Iran on 13th June, I was at Tehran International Airport, and after a few moments, all flights were canceled and we entered Pakistan from the border of Rimdan by road,” Raza told Arab News on Wednesday in a telephone interview.
Pakistan and Iran share a 909-kilometer (565-mile) border, which separates Balochistan from the Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchestan. Forced to abandon plane tickets, many stranded Pakistanis like Raza pooled resources to travel by bus, heading south from Tehran toward the remote border at Rimdan.
The bus route took Raza and his group past Natanz, a name known worldwide for being the site of Iran’s main uranium enrichment facilities and one of the prime targets of repeated Israeli attacks since Friday.
“We passed by Natanz, which is a nuclear power plant in Iran and has been targeted multiple times by Israel,” Raza said.
As they continued, they witnessed firsthand the flashes and arcs of missiles fired in retaliation.
“We saw that many missiles were launched from Iran toward Israel and made videos of this as well,” he said. “After 20 to 22 hours, we reached the Rimdan border crossing and entered Pakistan.”
Along the road journey, Raza added, despite the echo of distant missile exchanges, daily life seemed remarkably calm.
“JUST IN TIME”
Syed Nadeem Abbas Shirazi, a pilgrim from Mandi Bahauddin in Punjab province, had arrived in Mashhad, a sacred city for Shiite Muslims, to visit holy shrines when the attack threw the region into uncertainty.
“When Iran was attacked, I was in Mashhad. We went out and interacted with the local people, and they showed no signs of fear. In fact, they were very emotional,” Shirazi said.
“They were chanting slogans against Israel and the United States, and many said they had no fear of martyrdom, they desired it,” he added.
As the situation remained tense, Shirazi and his group decided to return by road rather than wait for flights to resume.
“From Mashhad, we boarded a bus at 1pm and reached Chabahar at noon the next day,” he said.
The group then hired a taxi for the final stretch to the Pakistan border near Gwadar.
For others, the trip home meant navigating jam-packed highways and rationed fuel in a country bracing for more strikes.
Syed Ali Hassan, an electrician from Layyah who worked near Tehran, said he felt the atmosphere change instantly when the attacks began on Friday.
“People were not openly panicking, but you could feel the fear in the air, everyone seemed to be preparing for the worst,” Hassan said.
Amid the quiet fear, Hassan and a handful of other Pakistanis found a bus heading west toward the Taftan border in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.
“The journey wasn’t easy. Highways were packed with vehicles, fuel stations had long lines, and we traveled all night with brief stops, mostly in silence,” he said.
Some passengers were worried about possible airstrikes or roadblocks, but the group managed to reach the border without incident.
At Taftan, exhausted and emotionally drained, many Pakistanis breathed a sigh of relief as they stepped back onto home ground.
“It felt like we had made it out just in time,” Hassan said.
