ISLAMABAD: Pakistani telecom operator, Zong, has announced a special call offer for Saudi Arabia and reduced tariffs ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, the company said on Friday.
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.
Zong said Pakistani customers may subscribe to its special IDD Saudi Arabia offer at just Rs2+tax per day and enjoy pulse-based calling at Rs0.70/second.
“The offer will assist Pakistanis to stay in touch with their loved ones performing Hajj during 2024 or residing in KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia),” the telecom operator said in a statement.
“Continuing to address the needs of our customers, we will continue to expand our International Dialing portfolio for our clients by offering more innovative products and services.”
This year’s pilgrimage is expected to run from June 14 till June 19. Pakistan’s pre-Hajj flight operation, which began on May 9, will continue until June 9.
Zong said its international dialing services have allowed Pakistanis to stay in touch with friends and families living abroad. “These bundles have been a major help to Pakistani in cross-border communication, especially during Eid-Ul-Adha 2024,” it added.
Eid Al-Adha, which begins on the 10th of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijjah, is one of the two biggest festivals of the Islamic calendar. Muslims around the globe mark the three-day festival by slaughtering animals such as sheep, goats and cows, and sharing their meat among family, friends and the poor.
Pakistani telecom operator reduces call tariffs for Saudi Arabia ahead of Hajj pilgrimage
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Pakistani telecom operator reduces call tariffs for Saudi Arabia ahead of Hajj pilgrimage
- Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and requires every adult Muslim to undertake the journey at least once in their lifetime
- Pakistan has Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims this year, of which around 70,000 people will perform pilgrimage under government scheme
Pakistan cricketers fined after failing to reach Twenty20 World Cup semifinals — report
- PCB links financial benefits to performance after fourth straight ICC semifinal exit
- Fine reportedly imposed despite record-breaking tournament from Sahibzada Farhan
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board has reportedly fined players around $18,000 each after the team failed to qualify for Twenty20 World Cup semifinals.
PCB “officials have clearly told the players that enough pampering has been done — from now on, financial benefits will only come with performance,” the Express Tribune reported Tuesday.
According to the report, the PCB decided to fine the players after Pakistan lost a group-stage match to archrival India on Feb. 15. However, after the team qualified for the Super Eight stage the players were told the fine could be waived if Pakistan reached the semifinals.
Pakistan needed to beat co-host Sri Lanka by 65 runs in the last group match to qualify for final four ahead of New Zealand, but instead it narrowly scraped to a five-run win.
The report said PCB officials told the playing group that if they accepted rewards for good performances, “they must also pay penalties for poor ones.”
The fines reportedly included at least one outstanding performer — Sahibzada Farhan — who broke India great Virat Kohli’s record for most runs in a T20 World Cup and finished the tournament with 383 runs, featuring two centuries and two half centuries.
The sport’s national governing body did not respond to a request for comment.
It was the fourth successive major ICC tournament where Pakistan has missed the semifinals. Pakistan also hasn’t beaten India in a major event since 2022.
Soon after losing the last year’s Asia Cup final to India, the PCB briefly suspended permission for players participating in T20 leagues around the world but later allowed the players to compete in tournaments like Australia’s Big Bash.
Last year, the PCB abolished category A in its list of 30 centrally contracted players, and demoted both Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam in category B.
