Govt paves ‘Road to Makkah’ for Haj, Umrah pilgrims

Published May 18, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif witnesses the signing of the ‘Road to Makkah’ project agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on Wednesday.— PID photo
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif witnesses the signing of the ‘Road to Makkah’ project agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on Wednesday.— PID photo

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad and Riyadh signed an agreement on Wednesday to initiate the “Road to Makkah” project, aimed at simplifying the immigration process for Pakistanis travelling to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj and Umrah.

Under the agreement, intending pilgrims would be provided with immigration facilities in Pakistan and would be exempted from the process at Saudi airports.

The service would initially be available at Islamabad International Airport, where around 26,000 pilgrims would benefit from the facility, the Prime Minister’s House (PMO) said. It will later be extended to Karachi and Lahore airports.

The agreement was signed at the PMO by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Dr Nasir Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Dawood.

Islamabad, Riyadh ink agreement to simplify immigration process for Pakistanis going on pilgrimage

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Ambassador in Islamabad Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki witnessed the ceremony.

Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Senator Talha Mahmood, Federal Minister for Narcotics Control Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti and Special Assistant to Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi also attended.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia also signed the joint minutes of a meeting in which they had discussed the issuance of Pakistani passports to the Burmese Muslims residing in Saudi Arabia.

According to details, the passports of Burmese Muslims were not renewed after 2012, which created some difficulties for them in the kingdom.

Under the arrangement, these people and their children would be issued passports to improve their legal status in Saudi Arabia.

As per the discussion, a bilateral committee would be formed comprising the representatives of Saudi Arabia and the interior ministry to work out early issuance of the documents to the Burmese Muslims.

Following the ceremony, the prime minister presented a souvenir to the Saudi dignitary, who also reciprocated the gesture by presenting a memento to Mr Sharif.

PM bashes Imran

Earlier, the prime minister said in a Twitter post that the roots of a “mutinous attack” on the state, its symbols and sensitive installations on May 9 lay in the contents of speeches made by PTI Chairman Imran Khan over the past year.

Mr Khan “has liberally deployed religious imagery to brand his political agitation as a war between truth and falsehood. He has relentlessly maligned and attacked the armed forces and the sitting Army Chief and very cunningly prepared his cult with the slogans of ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’ aimed at inciting them for violence we witnessed on May 9,” the premier said in the tweet.

“Listen to his speeches and you will get your ans­wers,” he said, using the hashtag ‘Say No To 9th May’.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

China security ties
Updated 14 Nov, 2024

China security ties

If China's security concerns aren't addressed satisfactorily, it may affect bilateral ties. CT cooperation should be pursued instead of having foreign forces here.
Steep price
14 Nov, 2024

Steep price

THE Hindu Kush-Himalayan region is in big trouble. A new study unveiled at the ongoing COP29 reveals that if high...
A high-cost plan
14 Nov, 2024

A high-cost plan

THE government has approved an expensive plan for FBR in the hope of tackling its deep-seated inefficiencies. The...
United stance
Updated 13 Nov, 2024

United stance

It would've been better if the OIC-Arab League summit had announced practical measures to punish Israel.
Unscheduled visit
13 Nov, 2024

Unscheduled visit

Unusual IMF visit shows the lender will closely watch implementation of programme goals to prevent it from derailing.
Bara’s businesswomen
13 Nov, 2024

Bara’s businesswomen

Bara’s brave women have proven that with the right support, societal barriers can be overcome.