ISLAMABAD: Pakistan plans to overhaul its pilgrimage travel policy to Iraq, Iran and Syria after authorities confirmed that around 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims went missing or overstayed in the three countries over the past decade, raising serious diplomatic and security concerns, a senior immigration official said. 

Each year, thousands of Pakistani Shia pilgrims travel to regional religious shrines, but host governments have repeatedly flagged the issue of undocumented or unreturned visitors. The problem resurfaced this week after Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf revealed that 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims had either overstayed or gone missing in these countries without any official record of their whereabouts.

In response, authorities have scrapped the long-standing “Salar system,” in which private group leaders managed travel logistics, and are introducing a new centralized, computerized structure to track and regulate pilgrim movement more effectively.

“Approximately 40,000 of the pilgrims who went on pilgrimage in Iraq, Iran, and Syria never returned during the last almost one decade,” Mustafa Jamal Kazi, Director General of Immigration and Passports, told Arab News.

He said most of the disappearances occurred in Iraq and that Pakistani authorities had formally requested details from the Iraqi government. 

Once confirmed, passports of the missing individuals will be digitally and physically blocked, and they will be placed on the border control list.

“Last year, 50 such individuals were deported from Iraq, and we have taken further action against them,” Kazi said.

He added that the lure of employment in Iraq’s booming construction sector, bonded labor involving women, and the exploitation of religious tourism for begging were among the most common motives for absconding.

To curb the trend, a new Ziyarat Management Policy has been finalized, after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi discussed the plan during a recent pilgrimage coordination meeting in Iran.

Under the new policy, pilgrims will only be allowed to travel in organized groups, and licensed tour operators will be held directly responsible for ensuring that all group members return to Pakistan before their visas expire.

Any operator found violating the policy or failing to ensure the return of all pilgrims will have their license canceled.

Only tour operators that meet new regulatory standards will be registered as Ziyarat Group Organizers (ZGOs), according to the religious affairs ministry, which said the new system would fully replace the traditional, unregulated Qafila Salar model.

“Due to the lack of proper data regarding the number of pilgrims, travel schedules, and their return after completing the pilgrimage, various concerns have been raised by host countries and relevant institutions,” the religious ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. 

The new registration process, approved by the federal cabinet, will enable more effective monitoring of pilgrimage traffic and prevent individuals from using religious travel as a cover for illegal migration or unauthorized cross-border movement.

The ministry said all pilgrimages would now be conducted under a structured system led by government-registered Ziyarat Group Organizers (ZGOs), which would also “help curb illegal stays in host countries or any attempts to cross into neighboring countries under the guise of religious pilgrimage.”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday directed authorities to finalize a comprehensive strategy by the end of July to provide easy-term agricultural loans and modern technologies to small farmers, particularly those owning less than 12 acres of land, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.

Agriculture remains the backbone of Pakistan’s economy, contributing around 19 percent to GDP and employing over 37 percent of the labor force, according to official data. The sector supports more than 60 percent of the rural population through crop production, livestock and related activities.

Despite its size, the sector faces chronic challenges including low productivity due to outdated farming methods and lack of mechanization; water scarcity and inefficient irrigation systems, which worsen during prolonged dry spells; dependence on imported seeds and fertilizers, raising costs for farmers; climate vulnerability, as erratic weather and floods frequently damage crops; and limited access to credit, especially for small farmers, who often rely on informal lenders charging high interest rates

Experts say about 80 percent of Pakistani farmers own less than 12.5 acres of land, making them highly vulnerable to market shocks and rising input costs. Many struggle to access quality seeds, fertilizers and modern tools, hindering yields of key crops such as wheat, cotton and sugarcane.

Chairing a high-level review meeting on agricultural planning and agri-financing in Islamabad, the prime minister said the country’s economic growth was closely tied to its agricultural productivity and the value addition of farmers’ produce.

“The provision of facilities to small farmers for the development of Pakistan’s agriculture sector is among the government’s top priorities,” Sharif was quoted as saying in a statement released by his office. 

“A plan should be presented to provide loans on easy terms for modern agricultural equipment, artificial intelligence solutions, and quality seeds.”

Sharif also instructed relevant ministries to develop a detailed roadmap for giving farmers access to small-scale industrial machinery to help them process their crops and produce export-quality goods.

The PM’s office said the government was accelerating reforms to provide farmers with modern tools, improved seed varieties, AI-based solutions, better water management techniques, and small on-farm industrial units. It added that reforms would also include training and capacity-building initiatives to support agri-processing and boost exports.

Officials briefed the prime minister on ongoing agricultural reforms, the performance of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), and current loan disbursement mechanisms for farmers.

“The prime minister instructed that a comprehensive plan be prepared and presented by the end of this month to provide farmers with easy-term loans and introduce a modern agri-financing system aligned with contemporary requirements,” the statement concluded.