At UNRWA summit, Pakistan reaffirms commitment to humanitarian aid, reconstruction efforts in Gaza

KARACHI: The Pakistan Travel Mart (PTM) 2025 exhibition, which opened in Karachi on Friday, witnessed a strong presence from Saudi Arabia, with a dedicated pavilion highlighting the Kingdom’s diverse tourism offerings beyond the traditional Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.
Since 2017, the exhibition has served as a platform for international collaborations and discussions on sustainable tourism development. This year, around 250 companies from 18 countries are participating in the three-day event.
Saudi Arabia’s participation underscores its commitment to promoting the Kingdom as a year-round travel destination and the Saudi pavilion buzzed with activity on the opening day, attracting a large number of visitors who were eager to learn about the Kingdom’s rich cultural heritage, historical sites, and emerging adventure tourism opportunities.
“Saudi [Arabia] is open to the world,” Dr. Omer Ayoub, a director of Saudi travel services provider Albait Guests, told Arab News. “Earlier, it was known to the Pakistani market that people only go for Hajj and Umrah to Saudi [Arabia], but now, today, we are promoting Saudi as a [tourist] destination.”

Representatives from the Saudi Tourism Authority were present at the pavilion to support their Pakistani travel partners, including Al Hudda, Al Khair, Aroma, Dar ul Eimaan, F&S Global, Jas Travels, Meezab Group, Super Travel, Travel Designer and Welcome Travel.
Dr. Ayoub underscored the Kingdom’s tourism potential, citing AlUla’s Nabataean culture and Jeddah’s historical district as well as adventure, cultural and culinary experiences for visitors.
He said a large number of foreigners, including Pakistani expatriates, consider the Kingdom their “second home” and it was important to understand their sentiments to curate relevant travel products.
“We’ve witnessed a great footfall from the local audience,” Dr. Ayoub said. “As you can see, Saudi [pavilion] has captivated the whole attention.”
Dr. Ayoub also spoke about the growing trend of combining MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) events with Umrah, and emerging destinations like the Red Sea Global project, dubbed as the “Maldives of the region,” that offers coral reef experiences.
Visitors connected with various travel agencies at the exhibition and echoed this sentiment.

“I have come to know many vendors who are working not only for Umrah and Hajj, but also promoting Saudi tourism,” Alishba Shehryar Khan, a Pakistani visitor, told Arab News, expressing excitement about tourist attractions in the Kingdom.
S. M. Fahim, head of digital marketing at the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), appreciated staff at the Saudi pavilion for their explanation of online services for Hajj and Umrah passengers, including platforms for booking hotels and packages.
“It’s basically ease and comfort to the customers,” he said.

Iqbal A. Sakrani, a director at Super Travel, said he gained “firsthand exposure” to destinations like Balkh and Taif during a familiarization trip arranged by the Saudi Tourism Authority.
“Saudi Arabia is rich culture, heritage destination,” he said, adding his company plans to offer visits to historical sites on Umrah and Hajj trips.
Muhammad Yaqoob Saifi, an official of Saudi travel company Rowaa Golden, shared their plans to offer both religious and leisure tourism packages, including sightseeing tours to AlUla, Taif and Abha.
“This is the first year we will be providing sightseeing along with Umrah and Hajj,” he said, adding that his company has set up camps at these destinations to provide services like food, transportation and accommodation to visitors.

ISLAMABAD: A senior administration official was injured in a crossfire between warring tribes in the northwestern Pakistani district of Kurram that has been hit by clashes for more than two months, officials said on Friday.
Kurram, a tribal district of around 600,000 where federal and provincial authorities have traditionally exerted limited control, has frequently witnessed violence between its Sunni and Shiite communities over land and power. Travelers to and from the area often ride in convoys escorted by security officials.
Fresh feuding began on Nov. 21 when gunmen ambushed a convoy and killed 52 people, mostly Shiites. The assault triggered road closures and other measures that have disrupted people’s access to medicine, food, fuel, education and work and created a humanitarian crisis in the area, where authorities say at least 150 people have been killed in the two months of feuding.
The latest incident occurred when Additional Assistant Commissioner Sayed Manan was in the field to ensure ceasefire between warring tribes in Bushara area, according to Kurram police spokesman Riaz Khan. Manan was flown to the provincial capital of Peshawar in a helicopter in critical condition after being initially treated at a hospital in Kurram’s Parachinar.
“The additional assistant commissioner underwent surgery at District Headquarter Hospital Parachinar,” Dr. Mir Hassan Jan, the medical superintendent of the hospital, told Arab News. “He was shot in the stomach.”
The additional assistant commissioner was injured in crossfire between the two villages in Bushara area, according to police spokesman Khan. While the gunfire has stopped, authorities are on high alert.
“The situation is completely tense in the area,” he added.
Feuding tribes have been engaged in battles with machine guns and heavy weapons, isolating the remote, mountainous region. The main road connecting Parachinar, the main town in Kurram, to the provincial capital of Peshawar has been blocked since sectarian fighting began in November.
The violence has continued despite a peace agreement signed between the warring tribes on Jan. 1. Under the peace agreement, both sides had agreed on the demolition of bunkers and the handover of heavy weapons to authorities within two weeks, but there has been little to no progress on the terms.
Shiite Muslims dominate parts of Kurram, although they are a minority in the rest of Pakistan, which is majority Sunni. Provincial and federal authorities have been supplying relief goods and evacuating the injured and ailing from Kurram to Peshawar via helicopters since last month.
Muhammad Ali Saif, a KP government spokesman, said on Friday hatred was the root cause of the Kurram issue and lasting peace in the region was not possible without eliminating it.
“All elements challenging the government’s writ will be punished according to the law,” he said, while speaking to a council of tribal and political elders in Kohat that was formed to resolve the Kurram issue.
“The Kohat [peace] agreement will be equally applicable to both parties.”