ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s finance minister, Muhammad Aurangzeb, on Thursday stressed the need for Pakistan to learn lessons in “policy continuity” and “irreversibility” from Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 framework, the Pakistani finance ministry said.
The statement came after Aurangzeb virtually attended a workshop on “Implementation Management” organized by Saudi Arabia. The workshop, facilitated by Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen Pakistan-Saudi economic collaboration, will have subsequent sessions focusing on Digital Transformation and Social Transformation.
Saudi Arabia is consolidating its economy on modern lines under the Vision 2030, which is a strategic development framework intended to cut the Kingdom’s reliance on oil. It is aimed at developing public service sectors in the Kingdom such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism.
Addressing the participants, Aurangzeb underscored the necessity of policy continuity as a cornerstone for sustainable progress, drawing attention to the concept of irreversibility in reforms, a key element in Saudi Arabia’s success story.
“Pakistan has often faltered in ensuring policy continuity,” he was quoted as saying by the Pakistani finance ministry. “The lesson we must take from Saudi Arabia is the importance of irreversibility in transformation initiatives.”
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defense and cultural ties. The workshop, titled “Saudi-Pak Economic Collaboration Taskforce — Pakistan Transformation,” was attended by senior Pakistani federal officials as well as representatives of provincial governments.
Addressing the participants, the finance minister highlighted the importance of learning from Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, an exemplary model of robust implementation strategies. He affirmed that setbacks were inevitable in the pursuit of meaningful progress, emphasizing that learning through failures was an integral part of success.
“To ensure success, reforms must not only be implemented but also institutionalized, making them difficult to reverse,” Aurangzeb said.
The workshop featured a comprehensive presentation on Vision 2030’s approach to developing strategic objectives and converting them into measurable outcomes through meticulous implementation processes, according to the Pakistani finance ministry.
The key principles of the approach include translating strategic objectives into measurable outcomes, establishing clear accountability mechanisms, and focusing on sustainability and irreversibility to ensure lasting impact.
“The workshop concluded by reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to leveraging international best practices, fostering collaboration with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and driving forward the economic and social transformation agenda,” the finance ministry added.
Pakistan says must learn lessons in ‘policy continuity, irreversibility’ from Saudi Vision 2030
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Pakistan says must learn lessons in ‘policy continuity, irreversibility’ from Saudi Vision 2030
- The Vision 2030 framework aims to cut the Kingdom’s reliance on oil by developing public service sectors such as health, education and tourism
- Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb says to ensure economic success, reforms must be institutionalized, making them difficult to reverse
Pakistan expands pilgrim travel system for Iran, Iraq with licenses to 67 new operators
- New system requires all Iraq-Iran pilgrimages to be organized by licensed groups under state oversight
- Long-running “Salar” model relied on informal caravan leaders, leading to overstays and missing pilgrims
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has issued registration certificates to 67 additional licensed pilgrimage companies, expanding a tightly regulated travel system designed to curb overstays, undocumented migration and security risks linked to religious travel to Iran and Iraq, the ministry of religious affairs said on Tuesday.
The move is part of a broader overhaul of Pakistan’s pilgrim management framework after authorities confirmed that tens of thousands of Pakistani pilgrims had overstayed or gone missing abroad over the past decade, raising concerns with host governments and triggering diplomatic pressure on Islamabad to tighten oversight.
“The dream of safe travel for pilgrims to Iran and Iraq through better facilities and a transparent mechanism is set to be realized,” the religious affairs ministry said in a statement, quoting Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, who announced that 67 new Ziyarat Group Organizers had been registered.
Pakistan’s government has dismantled the decades-old “Salar” system, under which informal caravan leaders arranged pilgrimages with limited state oversight. The model was blamed for weak documentation, poor accountability and widespread overstays, particularly during peak pilgrimage seasons.
Under the new framework, only licensed companies are allowed to organize pilgrimages, and they are held directly responsible for ensuring pilgrims return within approved timelines.
Authorities say pilgrimages to Iran and Iraq will be conducted exclusively under the new system from January 2026, marking a full transition to regulated travel. The religion ministry said it has now completed registration of 24 operators in the first phase and 67 more in the second, with remaining applicants urged to complete documentation to obtain licenses.
The religious affairs ministry said a digital management system is being developed with the National Information Technology Board to monitor pilgrim movements and operator compliance, while a licensed ferry operator has also secured approval to explore future sea travel options.
The overhaul has been accompanied by tighter coordination with host countries. Earlier this month, Pakistan and Iraq agreed to share verified pilgrim data and restrict entry to travelers cleared under the new system, following talks between interior ministers in Islamabad and Baghdad. Pakistan has also barred overland pilgrim travel for major religious events, citing security risks in its southwestern Balochistan province, meaning travel to Iran and Iraq is now limited to approved air routes.
Officials say the reforms are aimed at balancing facilitation with accountability, as tens of thousands of Pakistani pilgrims travel annually to key Shia shrines, including Karbala and Najaf in Iraq and Mashhad and Qom in Iran. Travel peaks during religious occasions such as Arbaeen, when millions of worshippers converge on Iraq, placing heavy logistical and security demands on regional authorities.
The government says the new system is intended to restore confidence among host countries while ensuring safer, more transparent travel for Pakistani pilgrims.
