New Saudi rules to have negligible impact on Pakistani Umrah pilgrims – official

Rows of worshippers can be seen during a prayer congregation at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah on October 17, 2021.
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Updated 08 February 2022
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New Saudi rules to have negligible impact on Pakistani Umrah pilgrims – official

  • Saudi government has made it mandatory for pilgrims to submit negative COVID-19 tests 48 hours before their departure
  • Pakistan’s director Hajj in Jeddah says new regulations are meant to ensure safety of pilgrims after the emergence of omicron variant

ISLAMABAD: A senior Pakistani official in Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday the kingdom’s new regulations for Umrah entry were designed to keep pilgrims save amid rising coronavirus infections, adding they would not have much of an impact on Pakistani nationals seeking to perform the religious ritual.
The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah on Monday announced it had updated the entry procedure for pilgrims who wanted to visit the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
It added that people arriving in Saudi Arabia from other countries were required to submit an approved negative PCR or antigen test 48 hours before their departure to the kingdom.
The updated procedure will come into force from Wednesday, February 9, 2022.
“The new Saudi regulations for Umrah pilgrims will have negligible impact on Pakistanis since they are already taking PCR tests,” Sajid Masood, the country’s director of Hajj in Jeddah, told Arab News on phone.
He added the Saudi government had taken the step for the safety of Umrah pilgrims from across the world due to rising COVID-19 cases after the emergence of omicron variant.
“Pilgrims from every part of the world visit the kingdom to perform Umrah and interact with one another,” Masood continued. “Strict measures were therefore required to ensure their safety.”
He said Pakistanis were already fully complying with the standard operating procedures devised by the Saudi government, adding the number of pilgrims from the country was gradually increasing
“Now they are also trained by agents to use the Tawakkalna app,” he informed while mentioning to Saudi government’s electronic mechanism to facilitate the issuance of movement permits for pilgrims amid the pandemic.
“The pilgrims who have taken Chinese vaccines require booster shots along with three days of quarantine in Saudi Arabia,” he said, adding the period of medical seclusion was not required by those who had taken vaccines like Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson since they had been approved by the kingdom.
Muhammad Faizan, a member of Umrah Travel Association in Pakistan, said the Saudi authorities had reduced the timeframe for the submission of negative COVID-19 tests from 72 to 48 hours before the pilgrim’s departure.
However, he maintained this should not be a major problem.
“There are about six approved laboratories to perform these tests in Pakistan and pilgrims can easily get their results before 48 hours of their travel,” he added.
Asked about vaccination, Faizan said the pilgrim must get the second dose at least 14 days before traveling to the kingdom.
“We also arrange for quarantine and booster shots for those who have received Chinese vaccines,” he said, adding that travel agents were there in Jeddah and Madinah to help Umrah pilgrims with the submission of their PCR tests through the Tawakkalna app.


Pakistan expresses condolences as powerful Tibet earthquake kills at least 95

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Pakistan expresses condolences as powerful Tibet earthquake kills at least 95

  • Magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes near one of Tibet’s holiest cities, injuring at least 130
  • Southwestern parts of China, Nepal and northern India are frequently hit by earthquakes

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan expressed condolences to China on Tuesday after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake rocked the northern foothills of the Himalayas near one of Tibet’s holiest cities, killing at least 95 people and injuring 130. 
The earthquake struck at 9:05 a.m. (0105 GMT), with its epicenter located in Tingri, a rural Chinese county at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. The US Geological Service put the quake’s magnitude at 7.1.
At least 95 people had been killed and 130 injured on the Tibetan side, China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reported, as rescue operations continue. 
“Pakistan expresses heartfelt condolences over the tragic loss of lives caused by the earthquake in Xizang,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said in a statement. “We extend our support to the people and government of China in their relief efforts.”

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, people stand amidst damaged houses in the aftermath of an earthquake in Tonglai Village, Changsuo Township of Dingri in Xigaze, southwestern China’s Tibet Autonomous Region on January 7, 2025. (Xinhua via AP)

The foreign office said Pakistan’s thoughts were with the persons who were injured or reported missing due to the earthquake.
“We also extend best wishes for the ongoing rescue operations,” it said. 
Southwestern parts of China, Nepal and northern India are frequently hit by earthquakes caused by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.
A magnitude 7.8 tremor struck near Katmandu in 2015, killing about 9,000 people and injuring thousands in Nepal’s worst ever earthquake. Among the dead were at least 18 people killed at the Mount Everest base camp when it was smashed by an avalanche.
With additional input from Reuters


Pakistan’s star batter Saim Ayub departs for London for urgent treatment

Updated 07 January 2025
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Pakistan’s star batter Saim Ayub departs for London for urgent treatment

  • Ayub suffered fracture in his right ankle last week while fielding against South Africa
  • Pakistan are scheduled to face New Zealand in Champions Trophy opener on Feb. 19

ISLAMABAD: Star left-handed opening batter Saim Ayub has departed for London from Cape Town for urgent medical treatment, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Tuesday, as Pakistan races to get him fit ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025 tournament scheduled to kick off in February. 
Ayub suffered a right ankle fracture while fielding in the second Test against South Africa at Newlands last week, with the injury ruling him out of competitive cricket for six weeks. 
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced on Monday that the board will send Ayub to London for medical treatment, hoping that he can be fit in time for the multi-nation Champions Trophy tournament scheduled to begin in February. 
“Ayub and Assistant Coach Azhar Mahmood depart from Cape Town to London,” the PCB said. “On the instructions of PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, expert sports orthopedic doctors from England will check on Ayub tomorrow.”
It quoted Naqvi as saying that Ayub was a “valuable asset” for Pakistan cricket and that “all resources will be provided” for his treatment.
“I pray for Ayub’s full recovery,” he said. “I am in constant touch with the doctors regarding Ayub’s health.”
Ayub has cemented his place in Pakistan’s white-ball squad over the past few months. He was instrumental in Pakistan’s 3-0 whitewash over South Africa in the recently concluded ODI series last month. Ayub scored two ODI centuries in the three matches, winning Player of the Series award for his stellar contributions. 
Pakistan will play the Champions Trophy tournament opener on Feb. 19 against New Zealand in the eastern city of Lahore.


Pakistan raises alarm at Sudan’s worsening food security situation, calls for ceasefire

Updated 07 January 2025
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Pakistan raises alarm at Sudan’s worsening food security situation, calls for ceasefire

  • United Nations-backed committee’s report in December outlined famine in five areas of Sudan
  • Twenty-month-long war between Sudanese army, paramilitary group has killed over 24,000 people

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s United Nations Ambassador Munir Akram this week raised alarm at the Security Council over the worsening food security situation in Sudan, urging both warring parties to agree to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire as civil war in the African country rages on.
The UN-backed Famine Review Committee of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) published a report last month outlining famine in five areas, including in Sudan’s largest displacement camp, Zamzam, in North Darfur province. The IPC’s report also warned that famine will likely spread to another five areas— Um Kadadah, Melit, el-Fasher, Tawisha and Al-Lait, by May 2025.
Sudanese people have suffered due to a 20-month war between the army and a paramilitary group that has killed over 24,000 and driven over 14 million people from their homes, according to the UN. An estimated 3.2 million Sudanese have crossed into neighboring countries, including Chad, Egypt and South Sudan, to escape the horrors of the conflict. 
Akram said on Monday that Pakistan was “deeply grieved” by the current ordeal of the people in Sudan by the war. 
“We call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire,” Akram said. “The parties need to find a sustainable political resolution to the conflict through dialogue. It will not be resolved on the battlefield. War will only bring more death and destruction for the Sudanese people.”
He said that the worsening food security situation in the country is “alarming,” noting that over 24.6 million people in Sudan face high levels of acute food insecurity.
“We have reviewed the 24th December report of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC),” he said. “We note that the Sudanese government has questioned the IPC’s malnutrition data and assessment and its ability to collect data from conflict zones and those controlled by the Rapid Security Forces. These views need to be taken into account.”
The Pakistani envoy urged the international community to work with the Sudanese government in addressing the humanitarian crisis in the country, calling on Sudanese authorities to facilitate the delivery of aid to the needy.
“We appreciate the recent steps taken by the Sudanese authorities in opening additional air, sea and land borders for humanitarian aid and extending the Adre border crossing, which has brought some improvement in the humanitarian situation,” Akram noted. 
The Pakistani ambassador called on the international community to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and bridge the 36 percent funding gap for humanitarian appeals relating to Sudan. 
“The international community must unite to support a common vision for return to peace and normalcy in Sudan,” he said. “Foreign interference in the internal conflict of Sudan must stop. The UNSC arms embargo on Sudan must be respected.”
As the war reached its peak in April 2023, Pakistan joined other countries in evacuating its nationals from Sudan, rescuing about 1,000 people from the African nation.


German diplomat found dead at his residence in Pakistan’s capital

Updated 07 January 2025
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German diplomat found dead at his residence in Pakistan’s capital

  • Preliminary reports suggest diplomat previously experienced minor heart attack, says state media
  • Thomas Jurgen Bielefeld was serving as second secretary at Germany’s embassy in Islamabad

KARACHI: A German diplomat was found dead in his residence located in Islamabad’s heavily guarded Diplomatic Enclave on Monday, state-run media reported, saying that preliminary reports suggest he had previously suffered a heart attack.
Thomas Jurgen Bielefeld, 58, was serving as the second secretary at the German Embassy in Islamabad. His body was discovered after embassy staff raised concerns about his two-day absence from work, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
The state media reported that the German embassy staff broke into his apartment and found him unresponsive, following which the authorities were notified.
“He [police spokesperson] said the body was taken to the Polyclinic Hospital, where a post-mortem examination was conducted to ascertain the cause of death,” APP said. “Preliminary investigations suggested that the diplomat had previously experienced a minor heart attack, which could potentially be linked to his cause of death.”
APP said the German embassy was in touch with Pakistani authorities and its officials were cooperating with the investigation.
“Further investigations are underway to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident,” APP quoted the police spokesperson as saying. 
Pakistan’s English language newspaper Dawn quoted the police as saying that the diplomat was found “dead with his eyes, nose and mouth bleeding at his residence located in Karakoram Heights.” 
The report added that the diplomat last used the WhatsApp messaging platform at 7:44 p.m. on Saturday.


Pakistan’s finmin calls for timely policy measures to address country’s energy, economic needs

Updated 07 January 2025
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Pakistan’s finmin calls for timely policy measures to address country’s energy, economic needs

  • Pakistan has attempted to undertake financial reforms in energy, tax and other sectors of its economy
  • Islamabad has grappled with a prolonged economic crisis that has drained its resources, weakened its currency

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has called for timely policy measures to address the country’s key economic, energy and industrial needs, state-run media reported this week, as Islamabad attempts to steer the nation toward sustainable economic growth. 
The finance minister was chairing a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), the cabinet’s top economic body, which was attended by senior ministers, officials and federal secretaries of various government departments, when he stressed on need for policy measures. 
Pakistan has sought to ward off a prolonged economic crisis by attracting foreign investment in its vital sectors and undertaking long-term financial reforms concerning loss-making state-owned enterprises, energy and tax sectors. 
“Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb on Monday emphasized the importance of timely policy measures to address critical economic, energy and industrial needs, with a focus on transparency and efficiency in implementation,” the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Monday. 
The ECC reviewed and approved a technical grant of Rs1.945 billion [$7.002 million] for the Ministry of Defense and Rs5.276 million [$18,993.60] for the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), to support the commission’s efforts in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in Pakistan.
The ECC also considered and approved a proposal from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for a technical supplementary grant of Rs 2,462.302 million [$8,864,287.2] to facilitate the execution of 15 projects under the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) for fiscal year 2024-25, the APP said.
Pakistan has registered some economic gains in the past few months, with inflation slowing to 4.1 percent in December 2024 and its stock market experiencing a bullish trend for the past couple of weeks. It has signed investment agreements from foreign countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Central Asian states to ensure sustainable economic growth. 
In October 2024, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed several memorandums of understanding (MoUs) valued at $2.8 billion. In December, Sharif’s office confirmed that seven of the 34 MoUs had been converted into agreements worth $560 million.
Pakistan has also attempted to privatize its state-owned enterprises which have accumulated losses in the billions, including its national flag bearer, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). It failed in its attempt last year to sell the airline, attracting just one bid of Rs10 billion ($36 million) for a 60 percent stake.