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Hajj clothing prices soar in southwest Pakistan as inflation bites

Pakistani Hajj pilgrims gather inside an Ihram clothing shop in Masjid Road in Quetta, Pakistan on June 16, 2022. (AN Photo)
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Updated 19 June 2022
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Hajj clothing prices soar in southwest Pakistan as inflation bites

  • Pilgrims are required to don two-piece seamless white garment during Hajj
  • Prices of Ihram clothes have gone up by 80 percent in Balochistan
Updated 19 June 2022
SAADULLAH AKHTER

QUETTA: As he arranges different varieties of Ihram clothing at his shop in Quetta, Abdullah Jan hopes to attract prospective pilgrims, but he does not expect to earn much during this pilgrimage season, as Pakistan is facing record high inflation that renders many unable to afford the mandatory Hajj clothing.

Ihram is a special four to five-meters-long white garment, a two-piece seamless wrap, that male pilgrims don as they enter the holy city of Makkah to complete their Hajj rituals.

It is available in many varieties, with Turkish, Chinese and Pakistani designs made from wool or cotton threads being most popular among pilgrims. 

“The prices of Ihram have gone up by 80 percent this season,” Jan told Arab News at the shop on Masjid Road in downtown Quetta, the capital of southwestern Balochistan province, where his father has been selling religious clothing for the last 60 years. 




Shops selling Hajj clothing display their banners in Masjid Road in Quetta, Pakistan on June 16, 2022. (AN Photo)

“The Ihram we used to sell for Rs800 ($4) is now being sold for Rs1,400-1,500,” he said.

One of Islam’s five main pillars of faith, the Hajj was restricted over coronavirus fears to just 1,000 people residing in Saudi Arabia in 2020. Last year, the Kingdom limited the pilgrimage to 60,000 domestic participants, compared with the pre-pandemic 2.5 million.

This year, as the Kingdom has already lifted most of its COVID curbs, it will welcome 1 million pilgrims from abroad. Over 81,000 pilgrims will come from Pakistan, including 5,000 from Balochistan province.

But as the main rituals will begin in the first week of July, many of those who will participate in them will buy just one set of clothing. 




Syed Naqeebullah looks at different varieties of Ihram clothing at a shop in Masjid Road in Quetta, Pakistan on June 16, 2022. (AN Photo)

“People who used to buy a pair of Ihrams for the 40-day pilgrimage can now afford only one Ihram, without the prayer beads and rugs that they used to buy as gifts for their friends and family,” Jan said.

Muhammad Amir, who owns the Majeed Towel Factory in Faisalabad, said his production has declined because of a drop in demand orders from across the country. He used to sell about 30,000 pieces of Ihram clothing, but this year his sales dropped by half. 




A man pilgrim tries Ihram clothing at a shop in Masjid Road in Quetta, Pakistan on June 16, 2022. (AN Photo)

“Our factory has been sending Ihrams to Rawalpindi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar and many other cities of the country,” Amir said. “This season, we have dispatched around 15,000 pieces.”

Syed Naqeebullah arrived in Quetta’s biggest Ihram market to buy the white dress for his father who will depart for Saudi Arabia next week.




Ihram seller Haji Abdullah Jan, center, sits with his sons inside thier shop in Masjid Road in Quetta, Pakistan on June 16, 2022. (AN Photo)

“I have bought a towel Ihram made with wool for my father because it’s more comfortable than the other designs, but I have witnessed an increase in prices,” he said. “A pilgrim has to buy Ihram to start his Hajj journey, hence he pays the amount without caring about the price.”

Topics: Hajj 2022 Pakistan

Pakistan prepares to terminate take-or-pay contracts with independent power producers

Updated 5 sec ago
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Pakistan prepares to terminate take-or-pay contracts with independent power producers

  • Pakistan approved a decade ago dozens of mostly foreign-financed private projects by IPPs to tackle chronic power shortages
  • PM Sharif’s cabinet this month approved settlement agreements with eight IPPs with the aim to reduce power tariff, expenses
Updated 5 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is making preparations to stop capacity payments to independent power producers (IPPs) by dissolving the mechanism of take-or-pay, Pakistani state media reported on Friday.
Take-or-pay is referred to as capacity payments in Pakistan where the government has to pay private companies irrespective of how much of the power they generate is transferred to its grid.
Pakistan approved dozens of private projects by IPPs, financed mostly by foreign lenders, a decade ago to tackle chronic power shortages. But the deals, featuring incentives such as high guaranteed returns and commitments to pay even for unused power, ultimately resulted in excess capacity after a sustained economic crisis slashed consumption.
This month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet approved settlement agreements with eight bagasse-based IPPs with the aim to reduce electricity prices and save the national exchequer billions of rupees, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“The agreement between IPPs and the government’s Energy Task Force is a significant milestone, which can result in saving of 300 billion rupees ($1.07 billion) of the national exchequer,” the broadcaster said.
Short of funds, successive Pakistani governments have built those fixed costs and capacity payments into consumer bills, sparking protests by domestic users and industry bodies.
In October, PM Sharif said his government was terminating purchase agreements with five IPPs to rein in electricity tariffs as households and businesses buckled under soaring energy costs, according to state media. Pakistan’s Central Power Purchasing Agency was due to approach the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) for a reduction in the electricity tariff generated from these power plants.
There is a possibility of Rs3.50-6.50 decrease in the electricity tariff as a result of government reforms as the government has pledged to pay outstanding dues within 90 days as prescribed in the agreements, Radio Pakistan reported on Friday.
“The government has also expressed resolve to promote private partnership for development of energy sector,” the report read.
The need to revisit power deals was a key issue in talks for a critical staff-level pact in July with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $7-billion bailout. The program was approved in September.
Pakistan has also been holding talks on reprofiling power sector debt owed to China and structural reforms, but progress has been slow. It has also vowed to stop power sector subsidies.

Topics: Independent Power Producers (IPPs) IPPs Arab News Pakistan

Pakistan stocks bounce back strongly a day after ‘massacre’ at bourse

Updated 50 min 28 sec ago
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Pakistan stocks bounce back strongly a day after ‘massacre’ at bourse

  • The KSE-100 index gained 3238 points to close the weekend trading session at 109,513 points
  • Stock analysts attribute strong recovery of the market to easing pressure at local mutual funds
Updated 50 min 28 sec ago
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Stock Market on Friday bounced back strongly and gained more than 3,000 points, stock analysts said, a day after it witnessed a “massacre” on the back of significant redemptions from local mutual funds and year-end profit-taking.
The benchmark KSE-100 index gained 3238.17 points to close the weekend trading session at 109,513.14 points. On Thursday, the index plummeted by 5,132 points, or 4.32 percent, to close at 106,274.97 points, compared to Wednesday’s close of 111,070.29 points.
Stock analysts attributed the strong recovery to easing pressure at local mutual funds.
“Likely easing redemption pressure at local mutual funds together with the opening up of attractive valuations encouraged value buyers to reenter the market,” Raza Jafri, head of equities at Intermarket Securities, told Arab News.
Thursday’s slump was led by Hub Power Company Limited, United Bank Limited, Oil and Gas Development Company, and ENGRO, cumulatively contributing a staggering 1,556 points to the index’s overall decline, according to Topline Securities.
The sharp sell-off was triggered by significant redemptions from local mutual funds, compounded by year-end profit-taking by institutions, that dragged the market into a “turmoil,” it added.
The decline came days after Pakistan’s central bank cut its key interest rate by 200 basis points to 13 percent, marking the fifth straight reduction since June.
Yousuf M. Farooq, head of research at Chase Securities, said the market had entered a corrective phase, following a significant rally over the past year.
“We believe that earnings will now drive market performance rather than valuation rerating,” he added.

Topics: Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) Pakistan Stock Market

Pakistan province aims to collect weapons to stem clashes, tribesmen may resist

Updated 55 min 45 sec ago
Reuters
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Pakistan province aims to collect weapons to stem clashes, tribesmen may resist

  • Kurram, a tribal district near the border with Afghanistan, has been a flashpoint for sectarian tensions for decades
  • Last month’s clashes between Sunni and Shiite tribes have triggered a humanitarian crisis with reports of starvation
Updated 55 min 45 sec ago
Reuters

PESHAWAR: Provincial authorities in northwestern Pakistan said on Friday they planned to collect heavy weapons to stop sectarian clashes that have killed hundreds, but tribesmen in the historically lawless region said they would not give up their arms.
Kurram, a tribal district of around 600,000 near the border with Afghanistan where federal and provincial authorities have traditionally exerted limited control, has been a flashpoint for sectarian tensions for decades.
Fresh clashes between Sunni and Shiite Muslims erupted last month, triggering a humanitarian crisis with reports of starvation, lack of medicine and oxygen shortages following the blocking of the main highway connecting Kurram’s main city of Parachinar to the provincial capital Peshawar.
Mohammad Ali Saif, spokesman for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government, said authorities had decided to dismantle private bunkers — observation posts used in the fighting by both sides — and collect heavy weapons from tribesmen in Kurram to stop the violence.
However, local tribesmen have refused to surrender their weapons, citing concerns about their safety.
“Our weapons are for self-defense, not against the state,” said Jalal Hussain Bangash, a local tribal leader.
Another tribal elder, Zakir Hussain, warned that disarmament would leave the Shiite community vulnerable to attacks. “The government is ignoring ground realities in Kurram,” he said.
“We don’t have medicine in medical stores and edibles in the markets. Previously we would use Afghanistan when the road was closed, but now the Afghan border is also closed for us after the Taliban took over the country.”
Mehdi Hussain, a doctor at the District Headquarters Hospital in Parachinar, told Reuters that more than 80 people, including children, had died in recent weeks due to the lack of medical supplies.
The provincial government and Edhi Foundation have started sending medicines to the region via helicopters.

Topics: kurram kurram district parachinar Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur Kurram tribal district sectarian clashes

Pakistan PM orders action against officials aiding human traffickers after Greek boat tragedy

Updated 20 December 2024
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Pakistan PM orders action against officials aiding human traffickers after Greek boat tragedy

  • Five Pakistani nationals drowned last week after a boat carrying migrants capsized off Greece
  • Four districts of eastern Punjab province identified as ‘most vulnerable’ to human traffickers
Updated 20 December 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed action against government officials who were facilitating human traffickers, his office said, following the death of five Pakistani nationals in a migrant boat capsize off Greece.
The boat tragedy, which occurred last week, underscored the perilous journeys many migrants undertake due to conflicts around the world. In the case of Pakistani nationals, the movement is mostly driven by economic reasons, with many young individuals attempting to reach European shores in search of better financial prospects.
Sharif presided over a meeting on Friday to discuss the measures the government needed to take to prevent human trafficking, which he said had brought disgrace to Pakistan worldwide.
“PM directs identification of Federal Investigation Agency officials involved in facilitating human traffickers and strict action against them,” Sharif’s office said in a statement.
The participants were briefed on the Dec. 14 boat incident off Greece and the steps taken to combat human trafficking, including parliamentary efforts to improve legislation on the issue.
The prime minister was informed that only five Pakistanis had been identified so far, while the identities of the others were still being verified, according to his office. The Pakistani embassy in Athens was in constant contact with Greek authorities regarding the migrant boat incident.
“For information and assistance regarding boat accident, Pakistan Embassy in Athens can be contacted on helpline +30-6943850188 and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Crisis Management Unit number 0519207887,” the statement read.
Sharif directed government authorities improve coordination to prevent human trafficking, highlighting that the Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot and Mandi Bahauddin districts of Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province were the “most vulnerable” to traffickers.
He ordered action against officials who conducted a delayed investigation into those responsible for a 2023 boat capsizing incident in Greece that involved hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, according to the statement.
The migrants drowned when an overcrowded vessel capsized in international waters off the southwestern Greek coastal town of Pylos. It was one of the deadliest boat disasters ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea.
Sharif directed authorities complete the ongoing investigation into human traffickers at the earliest and submit a report in this regard.

Topics: Pakistani human trafficker greece boat accident Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

Pakistan plans to set up 35 special economic zones to facilitate businesses, industry

Updated 20 December 2024
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Pakistan plans to set up 35 special economic zones to facilitate businesses, industry

  • Pakistani officials say over 200 B2B agreements reached with several Chinese companies, signed MoUs worth $70 million
  • PM Shehbaz Sharif calls for accelerating work on regulatory reforms to provide a conducive environment for businesses
Updated 20 December 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan plans to establish 35 special economic zones (SEZs) to facilitate businesses and industry, officials said on Friday, amid Islamabad’s efforts to boost foreign investment.
The statement came at a meeting of Board of Investment (BOI) officials, presided over by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to review progress of various ongoing projects, according to Sharif’s office.
Officials briefed the prime minister that they had conducted a survey of the 35 SEZs under the Geographical Information System (GIS) and had extensive data to accelerate the progress of projects in these zones.
More than 200 business-to-business (B2B) agreements have been reached with several Chinese companies and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth $70 million have been signed, they added.
“Work on regulatory reforms should be accelerated to provide a conducive environment for business in the country,” Sharif was quoted as saying by his office.
“An effective and comprehensive roadmap should be created for the completion of B2B agreements with international investors and the implementation of signed memorandums of understanding.”
Pakistan, which has been facing an economic crisis, has been making attempts to boost foreign direct investment in a bid to support its $350 billion fragile economy, with Islamabad seeing a flurry of high-level exchanges with China, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Qatar and other countries in recent months.
During the BOI meeting, PM Sharif instructed officials to set investment targets that could be achieved at the earliest.
“Effective marketing of investment opportunities in Pakistan is essential to attract foreign investors,” he said. “Construction of business facilitation centers, organization of road shows and other such measures are very important to bring foreign investment to the country.

Topics: special economic zones Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

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