Pakistan and Saudi Arabia discuss expansion of Makkah Route Initiative for Hajj pilgrims/node/2594889/pakistan
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia discuss expansion of Makkah Route Initiative for Hajj pilgrims
Pakistan’s religious affairs minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf (third from right) in conversation with Saudi Minister of Hajj Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah (unseen in the picture) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 26 March, 2025. (Press release)
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religious affairs minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf on Wednesday discussed expanding the Makkah Route Initiative to more Pakistani cities with Saudi Minister of Hajj Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah while praising the Kingdom for its continued focus on the welfare of Pakistani pilgrims, according to an official statement.
The Makkah Route Initiative is designed to streamline immigration processes by enabling pilgrims to complete official travel formalities at their departure airports. Initially tested in Islamabad in 2019, the program was later expanded to Karachi, benefitting tens of thousands of Pakistani travelers.
“Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf met with Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah,” Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry said in a statement. “The meeting included discussions on enhancing facilities for Hajj pilgrims and Umrah visitors, as well as expanding the scope of the Makkah Route Initiative to other cities in Pakistan.”
Pakistan’s religious affairs minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf second from left) in conversation with Saudi Minister of Hajj Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah (right) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 26 March, 2025. (Press release)
The Pakistani minister said pilgrims from his country had greatly benefited from the special attention given by the Saudi authorities.
Dr. Al-Rabiah congratulated Sardar Yousaf on assuming charge of the religious affairs ministry and reiterated the Kingdom’s commitment to serving pilgrims.
“It is an honor to welcome large numbers of pilgrims from Pakistan each year,” he said, adding that “serving Hajj and Umrah pilgrims remains one of the Saudi government’s top priorities.”
The ministers also discussed issues related to the registration process for Pakistani pilgrims.
Dr. Al-Rabiah assured the concerns of Pakistani Hajj applicants would be addressed on a priority basis, adding the Saudi authorities had introduced several new measures this year to improve services for pilgrims.
ISLAMABAD: Prominent Pakistani religiopolitical party Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JI) has announced it will hold protest marches and demonstrations in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad cities from April 11-20 to condemn Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
The development takes place amid renewed military campaigns by Israel in Gaza since last month after its shaky January 19 ceasefire with Hamas broke down. Israel said on March 19 it had resumed ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strip, as both sides blamed each other for the breakdown in talks.
The JI has frequently held marches and protest demonstrations in Pakistani cities, notably Karachi, against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza since October 2023.
“Jamaat-e-Islami has suspended its other activities and announced a Solidarity March for Gaza in major cities of the country,” the party said on social media platform X on Sunday. “Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman appeals to the public for their full participation.”
As per the schedule shared by the party, it aims to hold its march on April 11 in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore and protest outside the US consulate there. On April 13, it will hold a demonstration at Karachi’s busy Shahrah-e-Faisal road while on April 20, the party said it will lead a protest march to the US Embassy in Islamabad.
غزہ کی حالیہ تشویش ناک صورتحال
جماعت اسلامی نے دیگر سرگرمیوں کو معطل کرتے ہوے ملک کے بڑے شہروں میں یکجہتی غزہ مارچ کا اعلان کردیا۔
امیر جماعت اسلامی پاکستان حافظ نعیم الرحمن کی عوام سے بھرپور شرکت کی اپیل۔ pic.twitter.com/J9vEFNcHav
— Jamaat e Islami Pakistan (@JIPOfficial) April 6, 2025
More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli offensive in Gaza, Palestinian officials say. Israel began its offensive after thousands of Hamas-led gunmen attacked communities in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 as hostages, according to Israeli officials.
Pakistan, which does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, has frequently criticized the Jewish state for its military operations in Gaza. Islamabad has also called for resumption of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory and the need for a revival of negotiations leading to a two-state solution.
Pakistan consistently calls for an independent Palestinian state along the pre-1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Pakistani university, COMSTECH join hands to boost science cooperation among OIC states
COMSTECH, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences agree to enhance joint research, capacity building and knowledge exchange via agreement
Agreement launches Jabir Bin Hayyan Scholarship Program enabling students from OIC countries to pursue undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD studies at PIEAS
ISLAMABAD: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) and a leading Pakistani engineering institute on Sunday signed an agreement to boost cooperation in science, technology and innovation among OIC states, state-run media reported.
Established by the OIC in 1981 and headquartered in Islamabad, COMSTECH continues to serve as a cornerstone of the OIC’s mission to promote scientific excellence and technological innovation, focusing on sustainable development, poverty reduction, and improvement in quality of life across member states.
State broadcaster Radio Pakistan said the agreement between COMSTECH and the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) seeks to enhance joint research, capacity building and knowledge exchange.
“Under the partnership, COMSTECH and PIEAS will jointly launch educational and scientific programs, organize international conferences, workshops, and training sessions and facilitate faculty and student exchange programs,” Radio Pakistan said.
The MoU was signed by Professor Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, COMSTECH’s coordinator general and Dr. Naseem Irfan, PIEAS rector, during a ceremony on Sunday attended by senior officials and representatives from both institutions.
Another feature of the agreement is the launch of the Jabir Bin Hayyan Scholarship Program, which will enable students from OIC countries to pursue undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD, and post-doctoral studies at PIEAS.
The scholarship covers the disciplines of computer science, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, engineering, medical physics, nuclear medicine and other cutting-edge fields.
“The MoU also includes provisions for short-term fellowships, facilitating international academic exchanges and sabbaticals, with accommodation provided by PIEAS,” the state media said.
The OIC is the second-largest intergovernmental organization in the world, after the United Nations. It consists of 57 Muslim member states spread across four continents and is considered a collective voice of Muslim countries around the world.
ISLAMABAD: Eight people were killed and 12 others injured in a road accident when a bus collided with a rickshaw in Pakistan’s eastern Faisalabad district on Sunday, state-run media reported.
Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads as well as a majority of vehicles are in poor condition.
The accident occurred in Lundianwala’s Lahore Road area in Faisalabad district, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported, adding that the injured were shifted to Jaranwala hospital.
“Eight people were killed and twelve others injured in a road accident near Lundianwala when a bus collided with rickshaw on Lahore road on Sunday,” Radio Pakistan said.
According to a report in the Express Tribune, all the victims belonged to the same family. The accident took place when they were returning home after spending Eid holidays when the Lahore-bound bus struck the three-wheeled Qingqi rickshaw in which they were traveling due to the driver’s negligence.
The report said that as per eyewitnesses, the accident took place after the driver of the speeding bus attempted to overtake another vehicle and collided head-on with the rickshaw carrying the family, crushing it completely.
Pakistan reports several accidents each year during the Eid holidays when people travel from all parts of the country to their hometowns to visit relatives.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday stressed the importance of making progress in maternal and child health, acknowledging that Pakistan still has a “long way to go” in the field as the international community marks World Health Day today.
Pakistan faces significant challenges in maternal and newborn health due to resource constraints and cultural barriers. The country has a maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of approximately 154.2 deaths per 100,000 live births, and a neonatal mortality rate of approximately 38.8 deaths per 1,000 live births, according to the global online platform Healthy Newborn Network (HNN).
The international community marks World Health Day every year on Apr. 7. This year’s theme has been chosen as “healthy beginnings, hopeful futures,” to stress the importance of maternal and child health care. As per the UN, this year’s campaign will urge governments and the health community to ramp up efforts to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths, and to prioritize women’s longer-term health and well-being.
“Pakistan has made remarkable progress in the field of maternal and child health, but we still have a long way to go,” Sharif was quoted as saying by his office. “We must strengthen our health systems in a way that they can effectively address not only medical but also the broader social factors that impact maternal and newborn health.”
The Pakistani premier said his government is committed to harnessing cutting-edge technology in the health sector and building strong partnerships to further improve public health services.
He said that through the use of digital health tools, data-driven policymaking and effective community engagement, Pakistan aims to bridge the gaps that hinder health service delivery, especially in underserved and remote areas.
“As we celebrate World Health Day 2025, let us reaffirm the need for an integrated and multidisciplinary approach to health,” Sharif said. “This should include integrated and practical actions in health care, education, nutrition, environment, and governance.”
The premier said his government must prioritize preventive health care, universal health coverage, improving mental health and eliminating health inequalities.
“Our goal should be to ensure that everyone has access to quality health facilities, trained health workers, safe treatments, and essential medicines in a timely and affordable manner — whenever and wherever they are needed,” he added.
Apart from maternal and child health, Pakistan also faces significant health challenges in various fields. According to the World Bank, Over 40 percent of Pakistan’s under-five children are stunted, as compared to the South Asian average of 31 percent.
Polio is another challenge that Pakistan is grappling with, making the country one of only two where the disease is endemic. After reporting an alarming 74 cases in 2024, the country has so far reported six cases of the disease.
QUETTA: The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) has called for a shutter-down strike and road blockades across Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province today, Monday, over a police crackdown on its supporters, who attempted to march toward the provincial capital of Quetta a day ago to demand the release of Baloch rights activists arrested last month.
The BNP-M, led by lawmaker Sardar Akhtar Mengal, on Friday announced its supporters would march from Lak Pass in the Mastung district toward Quetta after their talks with provincial government officials for the release of detained rights activists failed to yield any results.
The BNP-M is demanding the release of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Dr. Mahrang Baloch and several of her colleagues who were arrested on Mar. 22 after staging a sit-in outside the University of Balochistan. Pakistani authorities charged them with “terrorism,” sedition and murder following a protest in which three demonstrators were killed, according to police documents.
The Baloch nationalist party said police used tear gas to keep the protesters from marching toward the provincial capital, where authorities have imposed a ban on public gatherings.
“Our today’s morning plan was to go towards Quetta, but all the roads were closed with huge deployment of security forces,” BNP chief Mengal told Arab News on Sunday.
“We have decided to continue our sit-in in Mastung and we have called a province-wide shut down and road blockades tomorrow [Monday] morning.”
Supporters of Balochistan National Party-Mengal participate in a sit-in protest near Lak Pass in Pakistan's Mastung district on April 6, 2025. (AN photo)
Asked about his negotiations with the government, Mengal called the provincial cabinet members “powerless.”
“I think the government negotiation’s committee didn’t have the authority to fulfill our demands,” he told Arab News. “This protest will continue until Dr. Mahrang Baloch and other detained members of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) are not released,” Mengal told Arab News.
The BNP-M supporters blocked several highways leading to Quetta on Sunday as police fired tear-gas to disperse them.
Muhammad Baloch, a senior superintendent of police (SSP) in Quetta, said they had arrested 50 protesters.
“Police have booked the protesters who pelted stones on police personnel and citizens and blocked several roads in Quetta,” he said.
Supporters of Balochistan National Party-Mengal party block a key highway in Quetta, Pakistan, on April 6, 2025. (AN photo)
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by landmass and rich in mineral resources, has been the site of an insurgency for the last two decades. The separatists accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province’s natural resources, such as gold and copper. Successive Pakistani governments have denied the allegations.
The Pakistan army and the government have in the past variously referred to Baloch and her BYC as “terrorist proxies” who they say are allied with militant separatist groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Baloch and her group deny the charge and say they lead peaceful protests for the rights of the ethnic Baloch people.
Police actions against Baloch rights activists have intensified after Baloch separatist militants last month staged a dramatic train siege that officials said ended in around 60 deaths, half of whom were separatists behind the assault.
Shahid Rind, a spokesperson of the Balochistan provincial government, said Mengal had been informed that he would be detained under the Maintenance of Public Order law if he moved to Quetta.
“The administration and police clearly told him that if he moves toward Quetta, he will be arrested and that’s why the law enforcement agencies are there,” Rind said.
The BNP-M sit-in at Lak Pass has resulted in the closure of the key Quetta-Karachi highway by authorities for the last nine days, disconnecting Quetta from Pakistan’s commercial capital of Karachi and the Taftan border with Iran.
“We arrived here on the 28th of March and parked our vehicles near Lak Pass due to road blockades and have been sitting here for the last 10 days because the authorities have blocked Quetta-Karachi highway,” Muhammad Hashim, a driver who was going to Quetta from Karachi, told Arab News.
“This situation is not benefiting anyone whether the protesters, government or ordinary citizens. The government should resolve this issue immediately and open the road.”
