KARACHI: A second batch of around 300 Pakistani pilgrims, who were stranded in Baghdad due to unavailability of Iraq Airways flights, returned to the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Saturday evening, authorities said, hours after a group of over 350 pilgrims returned home.
Most of these stranded Pakistanis had traveled to Iraq to participate in the Arbaeen pilgrimage, which marks the 40th day of mourning for the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who, along with most of his family, was martyred in Karbala in 680 CE.
Of these pilgrims, 358 reached the southern port city of Karachi Saturday morning via Iraq Airways flight IA-2431, according to the Pakistani religious affairs ministry. Another flight, IA-1431, left Baghdad for Karachi on Saturday afternoon, with over 300 passengers.
“Flight carrying pilgrims from Iraq to Karachi landed at 5:20pm, with 306 passengers on board,” Saif Ullah, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), told Arab News.
On Friday, Pakistan’s foreign office said 654 Pakistanis were stranded at the Baghdad airport because of technical fault with two aircraft of Iraq Airways.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Aviation and Pakistan’s Embassy in Iraq are in contact with Iraqi authorities and Iraq Airways for early repatriation of the stranded Pakistanis,” it said in a statement.
In a separate statement, Pakistan’s Ambassador Muhammad Zeeshan Ahmed denied media reports that over 50 Pakistani nationals had lost their passports due to the mishandling of the immigration authorities.
“The news about missing passports is incorrect,” he was quoted in the statement circulated by the religious affairs ministry. “The entire situation arose due to the mismanagement of the tourism companies.”
Another batch of around 300 Pakistani pilgrims stranded in Baghdad returns home
https://arab.news/wwnxv
Another batch of around 300 Pakistani pilgrims stranded in Baghdad returns home
- Nearly 650 Pakistanis who traveled to Iraq to visit religious shrines were stranded due to unavailability of flights
- Pakistani authorities say the embassy provided them meals and made arrangements for their temporary stay in Baghdad
Pakistan says defense pact with Saudi Arabia elevated brotherly ties to ‘new heights’
- Pakistan, Saudi Arabia signed strategic defense pact last year pledging aggression against one will be treated as attack on both
- Deputy PM Ishaq Dar says enduring bonds with Islamic and Arab nations form vital pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday that Pakistan’s defense pact with Saudi Arabia elevated its brotherly ties with the Kingdom to “new heights,” stressing that close ties with Arab and Islamic nations form a key pillar of Islamabad’s foreign policy.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement on Sept. 17 last year, pledging that aggression against one country would be treated as an attack on both, enhancing joint deterrence and formalizing decades of military and security cooperation.
Both nations agreed in October 2025 to launch an economic cooperation framework to strengthen trade and investment ties.
“In the Middle East, our landmark Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement with Saudi Arabia has elevated our brotherly ties to new heights,” Dar said while speaking at the Pakistan Governance Forum 2026 event in Islamabad.
The Pakistani deputy prime minister was speaking on the topic “Navigating International Relations Amidst Changing Geo-Politics.”
Dar noted that Pakistan has reinforced partnerships with other Middle Eastern nations such as the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Egypt and Bahrain. He said these partnerships have yielded “concrete agreements” in investment, agriculture, infrastructure, and energy sectors.
“Our enduring bonds with Islamic and Arab nations form a vital pillar of our foreign policy, and we will continue to expand our partnerships across Asia, Latin America, and Africa,” he said.
Dar pointed out that the presidents of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have undertaken visits to Pakistan in recent months, reflecting Central Asian nations’ desire to boost cooperation with Islamabad.
On South Asia, the Pakistani deputy PM said Pakistan has successfully transformed its fraternal ties with Bangladesh into “a substantive partnership.”
“Similarly, the trilateral mechanism involving China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh has been launched with a view to expanding and deepening regional cooperation and synergy,” the Pakistani minister said.
He said Islamabad has strengthened its “all-weather” partnership with China via the second phase of the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor agreement and “unwavering support” from both sides for each other’s core interests.
Dar said Pakistan had also reinvigorated its partnership with the US, advancing cooperation in trade, technology, investment, and regional stability.
“This calibrated approach has enhanced our ability to navigate complexity with skill and confidence, ensuring that our national interests are served without compromising our core foreign policy principles,” he said.
