You are here

  • Home
  • Pakistani pilgrims depart from multiple cities as Islamabad begins Hajj flight operation

Pakistani pilgrims depart from multiple cities as Islamabad begins Hajj flight operation

Pakistani pilgrims depart from multiple cities as Islamabad begins Hajj flight operation
Pakistani hajj pilgrimages arrive at an airport terminal for first hajj flight to Saudi Arabia in Karachi on September 8, 2013. (AFP/ File)
Short Url

https://arab.news/4jtk5

Updated 13 min 6 sec ago
&
Follow

Pakistani pilgrims depart from multiple cities as Islamabad begins Hajj flight operation

Pakistani pilgrims depart from multiple cities as Islamabad begins Hajj flight operation
  • Over 89,000 pilgrims will travel under the government’s scheme during Pakistan’s Hajj flight operation
  • They will travel to Makkah, Madinah via 342 flights, with the last one departing from Pakistan on May 31
Updated 13 min 6 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR & NAIMAT KHAN
Follow

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan kicked off its 33-day-long Hajj flight operation on Tuesday, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said, with flights departing from Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Quetta for the Saudi city of Madinah.
Over 89,000 pilgrims will travel under the government’s scheme during Pakistan’s Hajj flight operations. They will travel to Makkah and Madinah via 342 flights in total, with the last one departing from Pakistan on May 31.
The first Hajj flight for this year, Pakistan International Airlines’ PK-713, departed under the Route to Makkah Initiative from Islamabad at 4:45am, carrying 442 pilgrims. The second flight left the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore at 8:30am, with 147 pilgrims aboard, according to the PAA. The third flight left Quetta with 151 pilgrims and the fourth from Karachi, carrying 285 pilgrims.
Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf and Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki bid farewell to the pilgrims in Islamabad. Yousaf advised Pakistani pilgrims to strictly adhere to Saudi Arabia’s laws and respect the local culture during the annual Islamic pilgrimage and said he would “soon” travel to Saudi Arabia to review Hajj arrangements.
“As Hajj pilgrims, you are traveling to the sacred land as the guests of Allah and ambassadors of Pakistan, and you are urged to respect the laws and culture of Saudi Arabia,” the minister said in a televised address.
“I will take every possible measure to resolve the issues faced by Pakistani pilgrims in Saudi Arabia and will personally be among them to provide facilities.”
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. This saves pilgrims several hours upon arrival in the Kingdom, as they can simply enter the country without having to go through immigration again.
Around 50,500 Pakistani pilgrims will travel to Saudi Arabia under the initiative this year. The scheme was launched in 2019 by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and has been implemented in five countries: Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco and Bangladesh.
A total of 28,400 pilgrims will leave for Saudi Arabia through 100 flights from the Islamabad airport, Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry said. Seven special immigration counters have been set up at the Islamabad airport to facilitate pilgrims under the Makkah Route Initiative. The remaining 22,500 pilgrims will avail the scheme at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.
This year’s annual pilgrimage will take place in June.
In Karachi, the departure ceremony was attended by Saudi Arabia’s Consul General Muhammad bin Nasser Al-Subaie, representatives from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and senior officials from various airport agencies.
“Special arrangements were made at the airport for the pilgrims, including dedicated check-in counters, guidance services, and improved facilities to ensure a smooth and comfortable travel experience,” the PAA said.
“Officials extended their best wishes to the pilgrims for a safe and spiritually fulfilling journey. The Saudi consul general praised the excellent coordination and arrangements made for Hajj operations.”
Punjab Minister for Specialized Healthcare Khawaja Salman Rafique and Balochistan Governor Sheikh Jaffar Mandokhail attended departure ceremonies in Lahore and Quetta, respectively.
Rafique appreciated efforts of the PAA and all concerned departments in ensuring a smooth conduct of Hajj operations and extended his heartfelt wishes to the pilgrims for a safe and peaceful journey.
Balochistan Director Hajj Ilyas Jaffar and representatives of other agencies were present alongside Balochistan Governor Mandokhail at the departure ceremony in Quetta.
“The Honourable governor and other dignitaries requested special prayers for the prosperity of Pakistan and the continued success of all institutions,” the PAA said.

Topics: Hajj 2025

Pakistan says will defend itself as Modi gives Indian army ‘operational freedom’ over Kashmir

Pakistan says will defend itself as Modi gives Indian army ‘operational freedom’ over Kashmir
Updated 2 min 29 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan says will defend itself as Modi gives Indian army ‘operational freedom’ over Kashmir

Pakistan says will defend itself as Modi gives Indian army ‘operational freedom’ over Kashmir
  • Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors have plummeted after India accused Pakistan of backing an attack in Kashmir that killed 26 tourists
  • Islamabad has rejected the allegation and called for a neutral investigation, amid punitive measures taken by both countries against each other
Updated 2 min 29 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday told United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that Pakistan shall defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity with full force as Indian PM Modi gave the country’s military “operational freedom” to respond to last week’s attack in Kashmir, amid soaring tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Modi on Tuesday held a closed-door meeting with army and security chiefs a week after the deadliest attack in years that killed 26 civilians, and told the armed forces that they had the “complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets and timing of our response to the terror attack,” AFP reported, citing a government source.
Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors have plummeted after India accused Pakistan of backing the attack on April 22. Islamabad has rejected the charge and both countries have since exchanged gunfire in Kashmir, taken diplomatic measures against each other, expelled citizens and ordered the border shut. Modi last week vowed to pursue those who carried out the attack in Pahalgam and those who had supported it.
Amid heightened tensions, UN chief Guterres called PM Sharif and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Tuesday and underscored “the need to avoid a confrontation that could result in tragic consequences,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. Gutterres offered his good offices to support the de-escalation efforts.
“While underscoring that Pakistan shall defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity with full force in case of any misadventure by India, the prime minister encouraged the UN Secretary-General to counsel India to act responsibly and exercise restraint,” Sharif’s office said. 
“The prime minister categorically rejected any attempt to link Pakistan with the Pahalgam incident and reiterated his call for a transparent and neutral investigation into the incident.”
India on April 23 suspended the World Bank-mediated Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 that ensures water for 80 percent of Pakistani farms, saying it would last until “Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.” Islamabad described India’s move as an “act of war” and closed the Pakistani airspace for Indian airlines.
Guterres’ call came amid fears that India may conduct limited airstrikes or special forces raids near its border with Pakistan.
In his conversation with the UN chief, Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment toward fostering international peace and security as a responsible member of the international community and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
“He particularly highlighted India’s weaponization of the waters of the Indus Basin as unacceptable, while noting that water was the lifeline of 240 million people,” Sharif’s office said.
Also on Tuesday, Pakistani Deputy PM Ishaq Dar claimed India had been attempting to alter the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, which determines the river water-sharing mechanism between both countries, for the past two years.
“I have my doubt, much like other people, that this drama was staged to suspend this treaty,” he said, referring to the Pahalgam attack.
“We obviously don’t have evidence that they have staged this drama,” he continued. “What we do say with full confidence is that Pakistan has nothing to do with this [attack].”
Tensions have been boiling between the two nations since the attack in Kashmir, which has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. Both countries have fought two wars over the disputed region they rule in part but claim in full.
The worst attack in recent years in Indian-administered Kashmir took place in Pulwama in 2019, when an insurgent rammed a car packed with explosives into a security forces convoy, killing 40 and wounding 35.
Indian fighter jets carried out air strikes on Pakistani territory 12 days later. The strikes were followed by the downing of an Indian fighter jet by Pakistan and the capturing of an Indian Air Force (IAF), who was released as a result of diplomatic efforts later.
The UN has urged the arch-rivals to talk, while China, which shares its border with both India and Pakistan, on Tuesday repeated its call on both sides to “exercise restraint.” Saudi Arabia has said Riyadh was trying to “prevent an escalation,” while Iran has offered to mediate the crisis.

Topics: Pakistan India Ties Pahalgam attack

Britain calls for calm in Indian and Pakistani communities after Kashmir attack

Britain calls for calm in Indian and Pakistani communities after Kashmir attack
Updated 29 April 2025
Reuters
Follow

Britain calls for calm in Indian and Pakistani communities after Kashmir attack

Britain calls for calm in Indian and Pakistani communities after Kashmir attack
  • Nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan have taken a raft of measures against each other, amid tensions soaring since the April 22 attack
  • Britain is home to one of the world’s biggest Indian, Pakistani communities who have held ill-tempered protests outside each other’s high commissions
Updated 29 April 2025
Reuters

LONDON: Britain called on Tuesday for calm between Indian and Pakistani communities in London after lawmakers voiced concerns that tensions over a deadly militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir region could spill into the diaspora.
Nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan have taken a raft of measures against each other since the April 22 attack in the popular tourist destination of Pahalgam, which killed 26 people.
Delhi has blamed Islamabad for the violence. Pakistan has denied any role and called for a neutral probe.
Britain is home to one of the world’s biggest Indian and Pakistani communities.
“These issues have long been discussed with passion on British streets and we call on sides, all community leaders, all involved to call for calm at a time of tension in the region,” Foreign office minister Hamish Falconer told parliament.
When Falconer appeared in parliament to answer an urgent question on the situation, lawmakers raised concerns about media reports of ill-tempered protests outside India and Pakistan’s high commissions in London.
Britain updated its travel advice following the attack, advising against all travel to the region of Jammu and Kashmir, with certain exceptions.
The British government’s long-standing position is that India and Pakistan are responsible for finding a solution to the situation in Kashmir that takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people, Falconer told parliament.

Topics: Pakistan India Ties Pahalgam attack

Pakistan won’t strike first but will respond forcefully to Indian escalation — deputy PM

Pakistan won’t strike first but will respond forcefully to Indian escalation — deputy PM
Updated 16 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan won’t strike first but will respond forcefully to Indian escalation — deputy PM

Pakistan won’t strike first but will respond forcefully to Indian escalation — deputy PM
  • Ishaq Dar says Pakistan shared its concerns with countries like Saudi Arabia following tensions with India
  • The deputy PM says he suspects India may have staged tourist shootings to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty
Updated 16 sec ago
Kashaf Rehman

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday Islamabad would not be the first to strike India despite heightened tensions following a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, though it would respond forcefully to any escalatory move by its eastern neighbor.
India has blamed Pakistan for the April 22 assault in the Pahalgam area of the disputed Himalayan region that left 26 tourists dead, an allegation Islamabad has categorically rejected.
In the aftermath, New Delhi suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and expelled Pakistani diplomats. The latter move was reciprocated by the administration in Islamabad, though it also called for a “neutral” international investigation into the Pahalgam incident.
Dar, who also serves as his country’s foreign minister, shared the details of Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach while addressing the Senate earlier today.
“As of now, we’ve spoken to the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, China, the United Kingdom, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Hungary — except in the case of Qatar, where I spoke directly to the prime minister,” Dar told lawmakers.
“I walked them through what happened — India’s psyche, its history and our concerns about what intentions it may have in light of that history,” he continued.
Dar said Pakistan’s intelligence indicated that India was contemplating some form of escalation.
“We will not be the first one [to strike],” he said. “But if India does it, then this time there will be no tit-for-tat. Our response will be stronger than the Indian action.”
Referring to the 2019 Pulwama attack that killed 40 Indian paramilitary personnel and was blamed on a Pakistan-based militant group, the Pakistani deputy prime minister noted that New Delhi had used the incident as a pretext to revoke Article 370 of its constitution, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
The region was subsequently absorbed into India’s union territory framework, a move Pakistan has repeatedly condemned.
Dar also claimed that India had been attempting to alter the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, which determines the river water sharing mechanism between both countries, for the past two years, citing changing circumstances.
“I have my doubt, much like other people, that this drama was staged to suspend this treaty,” he said while referring to the Pahalgam attack.
“We obviously don’t have evidence that they have staged this drama,” he continued. “What we do say with full confidence is that Pakistan has nothing to do with this [attack].”
Dar also applauded China and Türkiye for expressing clear support for Pakistan since the crisis began.

Topics: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar Pahalgam attack India Pakista War

Detained Pakistan rights activist ends hunger strike

Detained Pakistan rights activist ends hunger strike
Updated 29 April 2025
AFP
Follow

Detained Pakistan rights activist ends hunger strike

Detained Pakistan rights activist ends hunger strike
  • Mahrang Baloch, 32, was arrested last month on charges of terrorism, sedition and murder
  • The judiciary has declined to rule on Baloch’s detention for over a month, halting any appeal
Updated 29 April 2025
AFP

QUETTA: Jailed activist Mahrang Baloch, a leading campaigner for Pakistan’s Baloch minority, has ended a hunger strike after a court asked authorities to justify her detention, her lawyer told AFP on Tuesday.
Mahrang Baloch, 32, was arrested last month on charges of terrorism, sedition and murder.
Security forces are battling a growing insurgency in her native Balochistan, an impoverished province that borders Afghanistan and Iran.
Rights groups say the violence has been countered with a severe crackdown that has swept up innocent people.
Mahrang and four other detained activists from her organization, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), had stopped eating on Thursday in protest against alleged misconduct by police and ill-treatment the activists claim to have been subjected to in detention.
The judiciary has declined to rule on Mahrang’s detention for more than a month, effectively halting any appeal and placing the matter solely in the hands of the provincial government.
But the Balochistan High Court agreed on Monday to consider an application to overturn her administrative detention, her lawyer Imran Baloch told AFP. Mahrang’s detention was renewed for a second month a week ago.
“Petition got admitted by high court and notices were issued to government,” the lawyer said, adding that a hearing was scheduled for Wednesday.
Mahrang and the other activists agreed to end their hunger strike after meeting with her family and lawyers on Monday, Imran Baloch said.
A group of 13 UN human rights experts expressed concern on Tuesday over the detention of BYC leaders and their supporters.
“Pakistan appears to conflate legitimate human and minority rights advocacy and public demonstrations with terrorism, threatening freedoms of expression, assembly, and association,” the independent experts, who are appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council, said in a statement.
They also noted the ban on several Baloch activists from leaving the country, which includes Mahrang.
A dozen UN experts called on Pakistan last month to immediately release Baloch rights advocates, including Mahrang, and to end the repression of their peaceful protests.
For two decades, members of the Baloch minority have denounced extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances and arbitrary arrests in Balochistan — Pakistan’s most resource-rich province, where 70 percent of inhabitants are poor.
Pakistani authorities say the accusations are unfounded.
Insurgents in Balochistan accuse outsiders of plundering the province’s natural resources and launched a dramatic train siege in March, during which officials said about 60 people were killed.

Topics: Mahrang Baloch

Pakistan army says ‘no shred of evidence’ shared by India even week after Kashmir attack

Pakistan army says ‘no shred of evidence’ shared by India even week after Kashmir attack
Updated 29 April 2025
Follow

Pakistan army says ‘no shred of evidence’ shared by India even week after Kashmir attack

Pakistan army says ‘no shred of evidence’ shared by India even week after Kashmir attack
  • New Delhi accused Pakistan of backing the deadliest attack in Indian-administered Kashmir since 2000 that killed 26 tourists on April 22
  • Islamabad denies the claim and Pakistan PM Sharif last week said they were open to participate in any ‘neutral and credible investigation’
Updated 29 April 2025
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday dismissed India’s accusation about an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, saying “no shred of evidence” had been shared by New Delhi even after a week of the killing of over two dozen tourists in Pahalgam.
New Delhi accused Pakistan of backing the deadliest attack in Indian-administered Kashmir since 2000 that killed 26 tourists on April 22. Islamabad has denied the Indian claims. Both countries have announced a series of punitive measures against each other amid heightened tensions over the attack.
Last week, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the tragic incident in Pahalgam was yet another example of New Delhi’s “perpetual blame game” that must come to a halt, adding that Islamabad was “open to participate in any neutral, transparent and credible investigation.”
On Tuesday, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, a spokesman of the Pakistani military, briefed local and foreign media journalists in Islamabad about the situation after the Pahalgam attack, describing the Indian allegations against Pakistan as “baseless.”
“Seven days have passed since Pahalgam incident, but so far, there has been no shred of evidence that has been provided to support the baseless allegations being made against Pakistan,” he said.
A day after the attack, India suspended the World Bank-mediated Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 that ensures water for 80 percent of Pakistani farms, saying it would last until “Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.” Islamabad described India’s move as an “act of war” and closed the Pakistani airspace for India airlines among other tit-for-tat moves.
Tensions remain heightened between the two nuclear-armed neighbors amid fears that India may conduct limited airstrikes or special forces raids near its border with Pakistan. There have also been reports of crossfire between the two border forces along their de facto border in the disputed Kashmir region.
Chaudhry said there would be a detailed briefing into the post-Pahalgam attack situation and that India had mobilized a “terror network inside Pakistan, in which explosives, IEDs and other materials are being provided to terrorists to target not only [Pakistani] military but innocent civilians.”
The military spokesman showed purported audio clips, screenshots of WhatsApp conversations between Indian handlers of the network and their operatives in Pakistan as well as receipts of payment transfers, which could not be independently verified.
Pakistan and India have fought multiple wars, including two of them over Kashmir, since their independence from British rule in 1947. Both rule the region in part but claim it in full.
Amid heightened tensions, the United Nations (UN) and several countries, including China, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt, have called on both sides to exercise restraint and resolve the latest crisis through dialogue.

Topics: Pahalgam attack

Latest updates

Iraq detains Daesh suspect accused of helping to incite New Orleans truck ramming attack
Iraq detains Daesh suspect accused of helping to incite New Orleans truck ramming attack
Saudi Arabia steps into global spotlight at Arabian Travel Market
Saudi Arabia steps into global spotlight at Arabian Travel Market
Saudi center, UK firm team up on environmental goals
Saudi center, UK firm team up on environmental goals
From Manila to Khartoum, Jeddah welcomes the world
Event will reflect Saudi Arabia’s ongoing cultural transformation and its message of welcome to residents from these countries.
Iga Swiatek reaches Madrid Open quarterfinals after ‘relaxed’ day during blackout
Iga Swiatek reaches Madrid Open quarterfinals after ‘relaxed’ day during blackout

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2025 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.