ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia has accepted Pakistan’s request to allocate equal quota for private Hajj tour operators for the upcoming pilgrimage and allow them to serve 500 pilgrims instead of 2,000, a senior official said on Tuesday.
The decision will enable 905 Pakistani Hajj companies to continue their operations by forming 180 unified groups.
Pakistan plans to send 179,210 pilgrims to the kingdom for Hajj next year, with 89,605 traveling under the government scheme while an equal number opting for private tour operators to fulfill the annual religious ritual.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia had asked Pakistan to decrease the number of Hajj group organizers from 905 to 46, each one managing 2,000 pilgrims to ensure smooth operations of the pilgrimage. The decision had caused concerns among owners of these companies.
“Responding to the Pakistani government’s request, Saudi Arabia has reduced the group size for private Hajj operators to 500 from 2,000,” Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, the prime minister’s special envoy to the Middle East, told reporters in a media briefing in Islamabad along with representatives of the Hajj Organizers Association of Pakistan.
“This will allow all 905 Pakistani private Hajj companies to operate by forming 180 unified groups,” he continued, adding that none of these firms was going to shut down.
Ashrafi expressed gratitude to the Saudi authorities for easing restrictions on Pakistani private Hajj operators.
He said the religious affairs ministry, in collaboration with the private Hajj operators, had initiated an awareness campaign about the annual spiritual journey.
“Due to a reduction in the value of the dollar, the government scheme’s Hajj cost has been reduced by Rs100,000, and we anticipate similar reductions from the private sector,” he added.
The prime minister’s adviser said private Hajj operators had set up a complaint cell in accordance with the government’s instructions to address issues faced by pilgrims on private scheme.
Speaking to Arab News, religious affairs ministry spokesperson Muhammad Umer Butt said only 41,000 applications had so far been received under the government and the sponsorship schemes.
The sponsorship scheme allows overseas Pakistanis to apply for Hajj or sponsor someone in Pakistan by covering the journey’s expenses in US dollars.
Saudi Arabia addresses concerns of Pakistani Hajj operators by easing private quota
https://arab.news/wr2na
Saudi Arabia addresses concerns of Pakistani Hajj operators by easing private quota
- Pakistani private Hajj operators will form 180 unified groups to serve 500 pilgrims, instead of 2,000
- Religious affairs ministry says only 41,000 Hajj applications have been received for government scheme
Military courts no novelty in Pakistan but returning ‘with force’ — Amnesty International
- At least 103 people linked to May 9 riots currently being tried by army courts
- Military courts operate under separate system from the civilian legal system
ISLAMABAD: Civilians should not be tried by military courts, Amnesty International Secretary-General Dr. Agnès Callamard said in an interview published on Tuesday, lamenting that the practice had been widely used in Pakistan’s history and was now returning “with force.”
Military courts have been in the spotlight since last year when hundreds of alleged supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were arrested following riots on May 9 in which military and government installations were damaged.
The government at the time as well as the army said those found to be behind attacks on military properties would be tried in army courts. At least 103 people linked to the May 9 riots are currently being tried in army courts, unleashing widespread criticism from within Pakistan and rights organizations globally over the courts’ secretive nature and existence alongside a functioning civilian legal system.
Last month, Pakistan freed at least 20 people previously detained by the military in connection with the May 9 riots.
“Civilians should not be tried by military courts,” Dr. Callamard said in an interview to Pakistan’s Dawn published on Tuesday, when asked about the military trial of civilians in Pakistan. “Sadly, it has happened throughout Pakistan’s history. Even though it is now coming back with force, it is not a novelty in Pakistan’s history.
“Pakistan is the only country in South Asia in recent history to allow military courts to play such a role vis à vis civilians,” she said, adding that historically military trials in Pakistan were held secretly and without transparency.
The Supreme Court last October declared null and void the trial of civilians by military courts arrested in the wake of the May 9 protests, but overturned its own verdict in December and allowed the army to resume hearing the cases of 103 civilians.
Pakistan’s Army Act of 1952 established military courts primarily to try members of the military or enemies of the state. Civilians can only be tried under a federal government order.
Civilians accused of offenses such as waging war against the armed forces or law enforcement agencies, or attacking military installations or inciting mutiny, can be tried at military courts.
Military courts operate under a separate system from the civilian legal system and are run by military officers. The judges are also military personnel and cases are tried at military installations.
Trials are closed to outsiders, and no media presence is allowed.
Anyone tried under the Army Act has the right to defend themselves and a counsel of their choice. There is no right to appeal but individuals can challenge the question of jurisdiction in high courts and the Supreme Court.
Pakistan GDP grows 2.09% in Q3, supported by agriculture
- Pakistan’s central bank in latest report projected real GDP growth of 2-3% for the fiscal year 2024
- Provisional 2024 financial year growth in agriculture estimated at 6.25%, 1.21% for industry and services
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s economy grew 2.09% in the third quarter of the financial year 2023-2024, supported by higher growth in agriculture, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics said in a press release on Tuesday.
The estimated provisional growth rate of gross domestic product (GDP) for the financial year ending June 2024 is 2.38%, the bureau said in a statement. That compares with a revised 0.21% economic contraction in the 2023 year when political unrest, a combination of tax and gas tariff hikes, controlled imports, and a steep fall in the rupee currency rapidly pushed up inflation.
Last week in its half yearly report, Pakistan’s central bank projected real GDP growth of 2-3% for the fiscal year 2024.
There was no comparable year-ago third quarter GDP data as Pakistan only began releasing quarterly growth numbers from November. That was done in compliance with the structural benchmarks of the current $3 billion bailout program agreed with the International Monetary Fund and completed last month.
The bureau revised the first and second quarter GDP estimates for financial year 2023-2024 to 2.71% and 1.79% respectively, compared to earlier estimates of 2.5% and 1%.
The provisional 2024 financial year growth in agriculture was estimated at 6.25%, and 1.21% for both industry as well as services, it added.
“The healthy growth of agriculture is mainly due to double-digit growth in important crops,” the bureau said, adding that bumper crop of wheat, cotton, and rice contributed to the positive result.
'They love their cricket': Rohit Sharma lauds Pakistani fans for praising Indian cricketers
- India and Pakistan, bitter political adversaries, enjoy one of sports fiercest rivalries in cricket
- Indian captain Rohit Sharma bats for Test series with arch-rivals, says Pakistan “overall a good team”
ISLAMABAD: Indian captain Rohit Sharma recently praised Pakistani fans for appreciating Indian cricketers, saying that he would love to play in a Test series between the two arch-rivals if it were ever to take place.
The South Asian neighbors are bitter political adversaries and have fought three wars against each other since they were partitioned at the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Their tensions mean the two countries rarely play bilateral series against one another and meet only at “neutral venues” during international tournaments.
Sharma, 37, appeared on ‘Dubai Eye 103.8,’ a Dubai-based talk radio station on Wednesday to discuss the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 and his journey as India’s skipper so far. During the show, the hosts relayed a message to Sharma from a Pakistani fan.
“Loved the messages from the Pakistani fans,” Sharma said, smiling. “I know they love their cricket, they love it. Every time, mainly when we are in the UK these guys come and just tell us how, respectfully, how they love us, how they love Indian cricketers and how they love to watch some of us at big stages.”
India and Pakistan are bitter political adversaries and have fought three wars against each other since they were partitioned at the end of British colonial rule in 1947.
Their cricket teams have not faced off in a Test since 2007. Instead, they play only occasionally in the shorter versions of the game.
When asked whether there were chances of India and Pakistan playing each other in a Test match soon, Sharma said:
“I don’t know the status of it. Personally if you ask me, I’m a cricketer at the end of the day. I want to play cricket and I want to get challenged at whatever stage I play cricket, and I feel Pakistan is a good team.”
Sharma praised Pakistan for having “solid bowlers,” saying that the green shirts are “overall a very good team.” He said cricket fans around the world would love to watch a Test series between the two arch-rivals.
“I actually have no issues it’s just from a pure cricketing perspective if I have to look at it, it’s going to be a great cricket contest,” he explained.
India and Pakistan have not faced each other on either side’s soil in a bilateral series since 2012.
India last year refused to travel to Pakistan for the white-ball Asia Cup, prompting part of the tournament to be staged in Sri Lanka. They last met at the 50-over World Cup in India in October.
The two cricket giants will square off on June 9 in New York when the T20 World Cup 2024 gets underway.
26,711 Pakistani pilgrims reach Saudi Arabia ahead of this year’s Hajj
- Around 179,210 Pakistanis will perform Hajj under both government and private schemes
- Over 1,000 Pakistani Hajj pilgrims have arrived in Kingdom through private tour operators
ISLAMABAD: A spokesperson for Pakistan’s religion ministry said on Tuesday 26,711 Pakistani pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of next month’s Hajj, less than two weeks after the country kicked off its pre-Hajj flight operations to the Kingdom.
This year, around 179,210 Pakistanis will perform Hajj under both the government and private schemes, for which a month-long flight operation started on May 9. This year’s pilgrimage is expected to run from June 14-19.
“Through 109 flights, 26,711 Pakistani Hajj pilgrims have reached Saudi Arabia,” a spokesperson of the Religious Affairs (MoRA) said in a statement. “After an eight-day stay in Madinah, the first convoy of 6,011 Hajj pilgrims has left for Makkah.”
The spokesperson said over 1,000 Hajj pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia through the private scheme, adding that 336 assistants or “Hajj Moavineen” have been deployed to help Pakistani pilgrims, and ensure their pilgrimage remains a hassle-free one.
He said Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain visited the residences of Pakistani Hajj pilgrims in Makkah recently and also reviewed arrangements for their food and travel in the holy city.
“Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik Hussain is expected to hold an important meeting with his Saudi counterpart today,” the spokesperson said.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and requires every adult Muslim to undertake the journey to the holy Islamic sites in Makkah at least once in their lifetime, provided they are financially and physically able to do so.
Pilgrims from Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi are availing the Makkah Route Initiative facility for the first time. Launched in 2019, the initiative allows for the completion of immigration procedures at the pilgrims’ country of departure.
This makes it possible to bypass long immigration and customs checks upon reaching Saudi Arabia, which significantly reduces the waiting time and makes the entry process smoother and faster.
Pakistan seeks regional connectivity, integration as FM Dar meets SCO counterparts in Kazakhstan
- Ishaq Dar meets foreign ministers of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan at sidelines of SCO Foreign Ministers Council meeting
- SCO member states collectively represent nearly half of world’s population, quarter of global economic output
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met his counterparts from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) this week in Kazakhstan as Islamabad seeks regional connectivity and integration through various projects, the foreign office said.
Dar, who is also Pakistan’s deputy prime minister, arrived in Astana on Monday to attend the two-day meeting of the SCO’s Foreign Ministers Council. Founded in 2001, the SCO is a major trans-regional organization spanning South and Central Asia, with China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan as its permanent members. The SCO member states collectively represent nearly half of the world’s population and a quarter of global economic output.
Pakistan has aimed to enhance its role as a pivotal trade and transit hub connecting the Central Asian republics with the rest of the world, leveraging its strategic geographical position.
Dar met Tajikistan’s Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin on Tuesday at the sidelines of the CFM meeting where they committed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and high-level dialogue.
“They underlined the early implementation of CASA-1000 project and other connectivity and regional integration projects for mutual benefit of the two countries and the wider region,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said.
The CASA-1000 project aims to allow Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, former Soviet republics with an extensive network of hydroelectric power plants, to sell excess energy to Pakistan and Afghanistan in the summer months.
The development took place a day after Dar met Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev. The two discussed last week’s violent clashes in Bishkek that forced Pakistan to repatriate over 600 students from Kyrgyzstan within days.
During the meeting, Dar shared the feelings of insecurity and fear among Pakistani students with Kulubaev and requested the foreign minister to ensure their safety and security. He also requested for holding to account those responsible for the attacks on Pakistani students, the foreign office said.
“Bilateral relations between Pakistan and Kyrgyz Republic especially in the domains of energy, connectivity, trade and people-to-people contacts also came under discussion,” the foreign office said. “And both dignitaries expressed satisfaction at the progress of established bilateral institutional mechanisms.”
Pakistan has recently undertaken measures to enhance bilateral trade and ramped up efforts to attract foreign investment to stave off a chronic balance of payments and macroeconomic crisis.
Since April, the South Asian country has seen a flurry of high-level engagements. These included visits by the Iranian president, Saudi foreign minister, a delegation of top Saudi companies as well as officials from Qatar, China, Japan and Central Asian countries, among others.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has vowed to rid Pakistan of its economic crisis by attracting foreign investment, efficiently utilizing its state-owned enterprises and ensuring sustainable development of its priority sectors.
