ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia’s deputy interior minister would “soon” visit Pakistan to sign the Makkah Route agreement, Pakistan’s interior ministry confirmed on Monday.
The Makkah Route initiative is part of Saudi Arabia’s Guests of God Service Program, which King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud inaugurated in 2019 as part of the Saudi Vision 2030. As per the initiative, Hajj pilgrims are issued visas, and provided other services, such as baggage facilities, at their respective countries’ airports.
The Hajj is a spiritual journey that every Muslim adult must undertake once in his lifetime, to the holy sites in Makkah and Madinah, if he is financially and physically able to do so. It is one of the important five pillars of the Islamic faith.
Last year, Pakistani pilgrims traveled through the Makkah Route initiative for the second consecutive year. The program also includes Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco, and Bangladesh.
On Monday, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah met Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, at the Saudi embassy in Islamabad. The two discussed bilateral issues, matters of mutual interest, and reviewed progress on the Makkah Route initiative, the interior ministry said.
“The Saudi deputy interior minister would “soon” visit Pakistan to sign the agreement,” the ministry said. It added that both sides had agreed to finalize the agreement and ensure it is “completely functional.”
“Under this project, Hajj pilgrims would be provided easy and hassle-free immigration facilities,” the statement added. “This initiative will soon be started from [Pakistan’s] major cities.”
At Sanaullah’s insistence, the Saudi ambassador assured him Riyadh would take steps to ensure the early release of Pakistani prisoners from Saudi jails.
The interior minister acknowledged Al-Malki’s efforts to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries. “Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy historical, long-standing, and brotherly ties with one another,” he said.
Last month, Saudi Arabia restored Pakistan’s pre-coronavirus Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims and abolished the upper age limit of 65 years to perform the annual pilgrimage.