JEDDAH: The resumption of international flights at 1 a.m. on May 17 will exclude the 20 countries where the ban on flights continues as part of preventive measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), said Saudia airline.
The banned countries, named by the Ministry of Interior, are: Argentina, the UAE, Germany, the US, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Pakistan, Brazil, Portugal, the UK, Turkey, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Lebanon, Egypt, India and Japan.
The clarification came in response to a citizen’s query about whether the travel suspensions will continue.
Noncitizens, diplomats, health practitioners and their families traveling from the listed countries have been denied entry to the Kingdom since Feb. 3. The ban applies to arriving passengers who have passed through any of the prohibited countries in the 14 days prior to their application to enter the Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Education employees who have yet to receive the COVID-19 vaccine are to be identified and put on a list, Saudi online newspaper Ajel reported.
The decision is part of official efforts to ensure a swift return to normal schooling, while safeguarding the health and safety of students and staff.
Education Minister Hamad Al-Asheikh previously called on ministry employees to arrange for vaccination in time for the start of the coming academic year.
Saudi authorities on Wednesday reported 12 additional deaths related to COVID-19. The death toll now stands at 6,858. The Ministry of Health reported 1,028 new cases, meaning that 408,038 people have contracted the disease, of which 9,818 remain active.
It said 431 of the new cases were in Riyadh, 220 in Makkah, 157 in the Eastern Province and 45 in Madinah. Another 824 patients recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries to 391,362.
Saudi Arabia has conducted 16,352,116 PCR tests, including 58,507 in the previous 24 hours.
Saudi health clinics set up by the ministry as testing hubs or treatment centers have helped hundreds of thousands of people around the Kingdom since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Saudis and expats in the Kingdom continue to receive coronavirus vaccine shots, with 7,537,798 people having been inoculated so far.
Pakistan among 20 countries to remain on Saudi travel ban after May 17
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Pakistan among 20 countries to remain on Saudi travel ban after May 17
- Clarification came in response to a citizen’s query about whether the travel suspensions will continue
- Ban applies to arriving passengers who have passed through any of the prohibited countries in the 14 days
China urges restraint, Riyadh and Tehran offer help as Pakistan-India tensions surge over Kashmir
- The development comes amid fears India may carry out limited airstrikes or raids near the border with Pakistan over attack in Pahalgam
- The two neighbors have exchanged gunfire, diplomatic barbs, expelled each other’s citizens after the attack that killed 26 tourists
ISLAMABAD: China has called for measures to lower heightened tensions between Pakistan and India over a recent attack in India-administered Kashmir, while several other countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, have offered Islamabad assistance in resolving the crisis.
New Delhi has 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 has offered to participate in a credible international probe.
The two nuclear-armed neighbors have since exchanged gunfire, diplomatic barbs, expelled each other’s citizens and shut border in a series of punitive measures against each other.
Top Pakistani leaders have reached out to senior officials in China, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt and other countries amid fears that India’s possible actions over the attack may lead to a wider conflict in the region.
“China welcomes all measures that will help cool down the current situation and supports carrying out fair and just investigations at an early date,” Guo Jiakun, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said at a press briefing on Monday, hoping Pakistan and India would uphold regional peace.
“As the neighbor of both India and Pakistan, China hopes that India and Pakistan will exercise restraint, work in the same direction, handle relevant differences properly through dialogue and consultation, and jointly uphold peace and stability in the region.”
The statement came as New Delhi said India had signed a contract to purchase 26 Rafale fighter jets from France, amid fears that India may carry out limited airstrikes or special forces raids near the border with Pakistan.
The last time India conducted such strikes against Pakistan was in 2019, when it retaliated for a suicide bombing in Pulwama in Indian-administered Kashmir in which at least 40 Indian paramilitary police were killed. Pakistan had denied complicity in that assault and the Indian strikes were followed by Pakistan’s downing of an Indian fighter jet and capturing of an Indian pilot, bring the two neighbors to the brink of an all-out war.
On Monday, India said it had responded to ‘unprovoked’ small arms firing from Pakistan along the de facto border in Kashmir for the fourth consecutive night. There was no immediate comment from the Pakistani side.
Several regional countries have urged bilateral consultation and dialogue between the two countries to prevent tensions from escalating any further.
Late last week, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who also serves as foreign minister, briefed his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, on Islamabad’s response to India’s retaliatory moves, saying his country would respond firmly to any external aggression.
“Both leaders agreed to continue consultations and coordination on the evolving regional situation,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday offered to mediate the crisis between the two South Asian nations.
“India and Pakistan are brotherly neighbors of Iran, enjoying relations rooted in centuries-old cultural and civilizational ties. Like other neighbors, we consider them our foremost priority,” he said on X.
“Tehran stands ready to use its good offices in Islamabad and New Delhi to forge greater understanding at this difficult time.”
Pakistan and India have fought multiple wars, including two of them over the disputed region of Kashmir, since their independence from British rule in 1947. Both rule the region in part but claim it in full.
New Delhi routinely accuses Pakistan of supporting armed separatist militants in Kashmir. Islamabad denies the allegations and says it supports the Kashmiri people diplomatically and politically.
Indian-administered Kashmir crackdown sparks anger as Pakistan tensions escalate
- New Delhi has accused Pakistan of supporting ‘cross-border terrorism’ after gunmen killed 26 people in Kashmir on Apr. 22
- Islamabad has denied any role and called attempts to link Pakistan to the attack ‘frivolous,’ vowing to respond to Indian action
SRINAGAR: Anger in Indian-administered Kashmir escalated on Monday over sweeping detentions in the hunt for the gunmen who carried out a deadly attack last week that New Delhi blames on arch-rival Pakistan.
New Delhi has accused Pakistan of supporting “cross-border terrorism” after gunmen killed 26 people on April 22, the worst attack on civilians in contested Muslim-majority Kashmir for a quarter of a century.
Islamabad has denied any role, calling attempts to link Pakistan to the attack “frivolous” and vowing to respond to Indian action.
Relations between the nuclear-armed rivals have plunged to their lowest level in years, sparking worries by analysts of possible military action.
The attack also sparked a huge manhunt for the gunmen in Kashmir, with Indian security forces blowing up nine homes of suspected rebels, as well as detaining nearly 2,000 people for questioning, a senior police official told AFP.
“Punish the guilty, show them no mercy, but don’t let innocent people become collateral damage,” Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in a statement.
Aga Ruhullah, a federal lawmaker from Kashmir, said: “Kashmir and Kashmiris are being given a collective punishment.”
Security operations in the search for the gunmen come as India and Pakistani forces have exchanged fire across the de facto border in the rugged and remote high-altitude Himalayan outposts.
India’s army said on Monday its troops and Pakistani forces had fired at each other for a fourth night in a row.
There were no reported casualties. Islamabad did not immediately confirm the gunfire from Pakistan.
“During the night of April 27-28... Pakistan Army posts initiated unprovoked small arms fire across the Line of Control,” the Indian army said in a statement, referring to the de facto border in contested Kashmir.
“Indian troops responded swiftly and effectively,” it said.
Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947.
Both claim the territory in full.
Rebels in the Indian-run area have waged an insurgency since 1989, seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan.
Indian police have issued wanted posters for three men — two Pakistanis and an Indian — who they say are members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group, a UN-designated terrorist organization.
They have announced a two million rupee ($23,500) bounty for information leading to each man’s arrest.
India is also hunting several of its own citizens in connection to the killings, sweeping up those they suspect may have information on the attackers.
“It’s a revolving door in police stations as part of the ongoing investigation,” said a senior police official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
“Some have already been let go, and more are being summoned to police stations,” the officer said.
The homes of men suspected of having links to the attackers have also been blown up at night.
Yasmeena, the sister of fugitive accused Ashif Sheikh, said her family was being punished, with their home demolished even though they had not seen her brother for three years.
“If my brother is involved, how is it the family’s sin?” she said.
“This house doesn’t belong to him alone.”
New Delhi has downgraded diplomatic ties since the attack, withdrawn visas for Pakistanis, suspended a water-sharing treaty, and announced the closure of the main land border crossing with Pakistan.
In response, Islamabad ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and military advisers, canceled visas for Indian nationals and barred its airspace to Indian airplanes.
India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday after warning last week that those responsible for the attack in Kashmir would see a response “loud and clear.”
The United Nations has urged the arch-rivals to show “maximum restraint” so that issues can be “resolved peacefully through meaningful mutual engagement.”
China, which shares a border with both India and Pakistan, urged both sides on Monday to “exercise restraint, meet each other halfway” and “properly handle relevant differences through dialogue,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.
Iran has already offered to mediate, and Saudi Arabia has said Riyadh was trying to “prevent an escalation.”
Pakistan university, COMSTECH ink MoU for scholarships of Palestinian students
- Abbottabad University of Science and Technology will offer 40 scholarships to Palestinian students in various undergraduate programs
- Program aims to support Palestinian students by covering their tuition and hostel fees, and provide them stipends, says state media
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani university has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) to provide scholarships to Palestinian students, state media reported on Monday.
The initiative is part of the “COMSTECH Scholarships and Research Fellowships for Palestinian Nationals” program, which aims to support Palestinian students by covering their tuition and hostel fees. The program also provides them monthly stipends, enabling Palestinian students to pursue higher education in Pakistan.
“The OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) and Abbottabad University of Science and Technology (AUST) on Sunday signed a MoU to offer scholarships to Palestinian students for the academic year 2025-2026,” the APP said.
As per the MoU, the Pakistani university would provide tuition to Palestinian students through both online and on-campus learning modes, APP said.
“The UST Abbottabad will offer 40 scholarships in various undergraduate programs including Doctor of Physiotherapy, Doctor of Pharmacy, BS Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT), BS Microbiology, BS Food Sciences, BS Computer Science and BS Software Engineering,” the report said.
Last year, Pakistan’s University of Lahore offered 5,000 free scholarships, fellowships and short training programs for Palestinian students in collaboration with COMSTECH.
Pakistan has actively tried to help Palestinian students secure higher education in the country after Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which has killed over 52,000 Palestinians since Oct, 7, 2023, in the densely populated enclave.
Over 300 Palestinian students were enrolled in Pakistani universities in 2024 while more than 50,000 Palestinian nationals have graduated from educational institutions in Pakistan over the years.
Seven killed in blast at pro-government peace committee’s offices in northwestern Pakistan
- No group has claimed responsibility for blast but suspicion is likely to fall on Pakistani Taliban militants
- Such peace committees often comprise local tribal elders who publicly oppose Pakistani Taliban group
PESHAWAR: Seven people were killed and over a dozen injured on Monday when a blast targeted the offices of a pro-government peace committee in Pakistan’s northwest, police said, as rescue teams attempted to reach those trapped under the rubble.
The blast took place in Wana, a city in South Waziristan district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province bordering Afghanistan, and hit the offices of a government-backed peace committee on Monday afternoon, killing seven and injuring at least 16, South Waziristan police spokesperson Habib Islam told Arab News.
Such committees often comprise local tribal leaders who publicly oppose the Pakistani Taliban militants, also known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group that has claimed responsibility for some of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan. While no group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack, suspicion is likely to fall on the TTP.
“Details into the casualties are still coming because two offices of the peace committee commander Saifur Rehman collapsed due to the intensity of the blast,” Islam told Arab News. “A number of people are trapped under the rubble.”
He said it was as yet unclear if this was a suicide attack or the explosion was triggered by a remote-controlled device.
Tribal elder Almir Khan Wazir said two commanders of the peace committee, Rehman and Tehsil Wazir, were in critical condition.
“They were rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital in critical condition,” Wazir said.
The blast took place as Pakistan’s military said 71 militants had been killed in a number of armed operations in the nearby North Waziristan district in the last three days.
Pakistan blames the Taliban government in Afghanistan for providing sanctuary to TTP militants, threatening cross-border action unless Kabul withdraws its support for militant groups. Afghanistan denies the allegations and has urged Pakistan to resolve its security challenges internally.
Pakistan army says 71 militants killed in three days of operations in northwest
- The 71 deaths reported are an usually high number in Pakistan’s battle against militancy along its border with Afghanistan
- Latest operations highlight the challenges Pakistani forces face on multiple fronts as tensions with India also rise rapidly
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan army said on Monday 71 militants had been killed in three days of armed operations in the country’s northwestern regions bordering Afghanistan where the military has been battling a surge in militancy.
On Sunday, the army said it had killed 54 militants trying to infiltrate the country from Afghanistan, highlighting the challenges its forces face on multiple fronts as tensions with India also rise rapidly.
In a fresh statement on Monday, the army said it had carried out a “sanitization operation” in the North Waziristan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on the night of Apr. 27-28 following Sunday’s campaigns.
“During the conduct of the operation, seventeen more khwarij [militants] who were operating on behest of their foreign masters were hunted down and successfully neutralized,” the army said in a statement.
“The number of khwarij killed in three days operation has risen to seventy one.”
The 71 deaths reported are an usually high number in Pakistan’s battle against militancy and instability along its border with Afghanistan during the nearly four years since the United States withdrew its military support from the country and the Taliban took over Kabul.
The banned group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, has intensified attacks on Pakistani security forces, straining ties between Pakistan’s leaders and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of harboring and supporting TTP fighters, an allegation they deny.
Pakistan is also facing an intensifying separatist insurgency in the southwestern Balochistan province. The possibility of conventional skirmishes with nuclear-armed neighbor India to the east have also risen since last week when 26 tourists were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir. New Delhi has blamed Islamabad, which has denied involvement.
The Muslim-majority Himalayan region is claimed by both the nuclear states, and has been the site of multiple wars, insurgencies and diplomatic standoffs.
