Inaugural flight to Makkah carrying 340 Pakistani pilgrims touches down at Jeddah airport 

Saudi officials greet Muslim pilgrims as they arrive in Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage on June 5, 2023. (SPA)
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Updated 05 June 2023
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Inaugural flight to Makkah carrying 340 Pakistani pilgrims touches down at Jeddah airport 

  • Two more flights carrying pilgrims will leave from Islamabad, Multan on Monday 
  • Last week, Pakistan also began direct Hajj flights from Quetta for the first time 

ISLAMABAD: The first direct Hajj flight from Pakistan's Islamabad to Saudi Arabia’s Makkah province safely landed at the Jeddah airport on Monday morning with 340 Pakistani pilgrims aboard, the Pakistani religious affairs ministry said, as Pakistan's pre-Hajj flight operation continues in full swing. 

This year, Saudi Arabia reinstated Pakistan’s pre-pandemic Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims and scrapped the upper age limit of 65 in January. About 80,000 Pakistani pilgrims are expected to perform the pilgrimage under the government scheme this year, and the rest will be facilitated by private tour operators.  

These Pakistani pilgrims arrived under the Makkah Route initiative, which allows them to go through immigration facilities at the airports of their respective countries, and as part of the Pakistani government scheme via Saudi Arabian Airline flight, SV-3727. 

"Pakistani Hajj pilgrims were warmly welcomed upon arrival at the Jeddah airport," a spokesperson for the Pakistani religious affairs ministry said. 

"The pilgrims coming from Islamabad under the Makkah Route initiative were sent to [the holy city of] Makkah via eight buses." 

Two more flights will leave for Saudi Arabia from Islamabad and Multan, the spokesperson said, adding 1,050 Pakistani pilgrims will be reaching the Kingdom on Monday. 

Hajj is an obligatory religious ritual for adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of carrying it out. It involves visiting the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah at least once in a lifetime and takes place during the last month of the lunar Islamic calendar called Dhu Al-Hijjah.  

On Tuesday, 3,387 Pakistani Hajj pilgrims will arrive in the Kingdom via 11 flights, according to the religious affairs ministry. 

More than 40,000 Pakistanis have so far arrived in Saudi Arabia to perform the annual pilgrimage since the government initiated a special flight operation on May 21. Pakistan last week also started direct Hajj flights from the southwestern city of Quetta, the Pakistani Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) said, in a first for the residents of the country’s Balochistan province.  

Balochistan, a mountainous desert region bordering Afghanistan and Iran, is Pakistan’s largest but most under-developed province, where pilgrims previously had to travel to the country’s commercial hub of Karachi in the south for direct Hajj flights.  

Pakistan's pre-Hajj flight operation will continue until June 21.


Pakistan ex-spy chief formally arraigned for ‘engaging in political activities’ — military

Updated 6 sec ago
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Pakistan ex-spy chief formally arraigned for ‘engaging in political activities’ — military

  • Retired general Faiz Hameed was arrested in August on charges of land grabbing, snatching valuables from housing society developer
  • The army said at the time multiple instances of violation of Pakistan Army Act post-retirement had been established against Hameed

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan army said on Tuesday former spymaster Lt. Gen. (retired) Faiz Hameed, against whom court martial proceedings began in August, had been formally arraigned on a number of charges, including engaging in political activities and violating a law on official secrets. 
Hameed, who served as the director-general of Pakistan’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency from June 2019 until October 2021, was arrested this August over accusations he was involved in land grabbing and snatching valuables and property from the owner of a housing society. The military said at the time multiple instances of violations of the Pakistan Army Act post-retirement had also been established against Hameed, court martial proceedings had been initiated and he was in the army’s custody.
The former general is widely seen to have been close to former prime minister Imran Khan, who has also been in jail since last year on a slew of charges that he says are politically motivated.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the army’s media wing said Field General Court Martial proceedings had started against Hameed on Aug. 12 under the Pakistan Army Act.
“In first place, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (Retd) has been formally arraigned on charges of engaging in political activities, violations of Official Secret Act detrimental to safety and interest of the state, misuse of authority & government resources and causing wrongful loss to a person(s),” the military said. 
The statement added that Hameed was also being investigated for “creating agitation and unrest,” which had led to multiple incidents of “instability,” including but not limited to riots by alleged pro-Imran Khan protesters on May 9, 2023, in which government and military buildings were attacked and damaged. This was done, the military said, at “the behest of and in collusion with vested political interests.”
“Hameed is being afforded with all legal rights as per the law,” the statement concluded. 
Investigations against senior officers of the all-powerful army are extremely rare in Pakistan, where the military has ruled for almost half of the country’s history and wields extraordinary power even during periods of civilian rule.
In the past, Hameed, who retired from the army in December 2022, was widely accused by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of bringing down the government of his elder brother, Nawaz Sharif, in 2017. The PML-N alleges Hameed worked with then opposition leader Imran Khan to plot Nawaz’s ouster through a series of court cases, culminating in the Supreme Court’s disqualifying of him from office in 2017 for failing to disclose income and ordering a criminal investigation into his family over corruption allegations.
Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023, is widely believed to have been propelled to power with the backing of the military in 2018. However, since his ouster in a parliamentary no-trust vote, which he blames on the generals, he has waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the military establishment. The military has denied any involvement in his ouster but Khan has been public about the clash, which has led to the worst political turmoil in the South Asian nation in decades. 
Many independent analysts say the unprecedented arrest and court-martial of Hameed could raise the heat on Khan and be the precursor to prosecuting the jailed former prime minister before a military court on charges of treason and attempting to incite a mutiny in the military.
ARREST
At the time of Hameed’s arrest in August, the army said it had held a detailed inquiry against him in compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court on a petition filed by the management of the Top City housing society.
The petition, filed by the owner of Top City, Moeez Ahmed Khan (applicant), says the former ISI chief “misused” his office and under his direction, crimes were committed against Moeez and his family, including raids on his residence and business offices and arrests of him and his family members.
The petition says the applicant and his family members were robbed of their properties, the applicant was robbed of his business properties and compelled to transfer his businesses into the names of those nominated by Hameed, and false cases were registered against the applicant, his family and employees.
“Complying with the orders of Supreme Court of Pakistan, a detailed court of inquiry, was undertaken by Pakistan Army, to ascertain correctness of complaints in Top City Case made against Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (Retd),” the army’s media wing said in a statement after Hameed’s arrest. 
“Consequently, appropriate disciplinary action has been initiated against Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (Retd), under provisions of Pakistan Army Act.”
Days after Hameed’s arrest, the Pakistani military said it had arrested three more retired officers in connection with the proceedings against the ex-spy chief. 
Political parties and critics often accuse that the ISI spy agency interferes in politics and government in Pakistan.


Pakistani embassy evacuates 100 nationals from Syria via Lebanon border

Updated 10 December 2024
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Pakistani embassy evacuates 100 nationals from Syria via Lebanon border

  • Over 1,300 Pakistanis were stranded in Syria last week, when Syrian opposition forces seized the capital of Damascus
  • Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says the return of Pakistanis stranded in Syria is a ‘matter of concern’ for his government

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s embassy has evacuated 100 Pakistani nationals from Syria through its border with Lebanon, an embassy official said on Tuesday, shortly after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said their return was a “matter of concern” for Islamabad.
More than 1,300 Pakistanis were stranded in Syria last week, when Syrian opposition forces seized the capital of Damascus unopposed following a lightning advance that sent President Bashar Assad fleeing to Russia on Sunday.
Pakistan’s foreign office said these Pakistanis would be evacuated once the Damascus airport reopened, but on Monday, PM Sharif sought his Lebanese counterpart Najib Mikati’s “personal intervention” in evacuating these Pakistani nationals.
“We have evacuated 100 Pakistanis from the Syria-Lebanon border. There are 80 pilgrims and 20 Pakistani residents,” Muhammad Nafees, an official at the Pakistani embassy in Damascus, told Arab News on Tuesday.
“Embassy officials transported them in buses to the Syria-Lebanon border.”
Officials of the Pakistani embassy in Lebanon received these Pakistani nationals at the border, according to Nafees.
“They are returning to Pakistan on two flights” he shared. “The Pakistan embassy in Syria is working to evacuate all remaining Pakistanis within a couple of days.”
The development came shortly after PM Sharif said around 250 Pakistani pilgrims had recently gone to Syria.
“The pilgrims and other Pakistani teachers and students, their return is a matter of concern and we have to rapidly make arrangements,” the premier said in televised comments after a meeting of his cabinet.
“Apart from the 250 pilgrims, 300 more Pakistanis want to go back to Pakistan. We are concerned about this and have to do arrangements.”
Sharif said the Lebanese premier had assured him of helping Pakistan evacuate its nationals in their telephonic conversation on Monday.
“He said ‘it doesn’t matter if there are visas or not, we will look after them and you should begin the process’,” the Pakistan premier said.
Pakistan’s embassy earlier said Syria’s airports and borders with Jordan and Oman were currently closed, posing a “major challenge” to the repatriation effort.
The embassy said it would accommodate Pakistani nationals at a school run by the mission so they could have a secure place to stay while repatriation flights were arranged.


Pakistan’s Punjab, Chinese firm sign agreement to set up robotic agricultural equipment manufacturing plant

Updated 44 min 17 sec ago
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Pakistan’s Punjab, Chinese firm sign agreement to set up robotic agricultural equipment manufacturing plant

  • Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, who is on a visit to China, witnessed the signing of MoU between Punjab and AI Force Tech
  • Pakistan, which has been faced with an economic crisis, is currently looking to boost its agricultural production and exports

ISLAMABAD: The agriculture department in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a Chinese firm, AI Force Tech, to set up a robotic agricultural equipment manufacturing plant in the province, Pakistani state media reported on Tuesday.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, who is on a visit to China from Dec. 8 till Dec. 15, witnessed the signing of MoU between the two sides and dilated upon agriculture sector reforms in Punjab during her meeting with AI Force Tech officials.
Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and constitutes its largest sector. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), agriculture contributes about 24 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for half of the employed labor force in the country.
Sharif inspected the latest agricultural tools equipped with robotic technology and observed the robotic machinery, assuring the company of her government’s full cooperation in manufacturing the modern robotic agricultural machinery in Punjab, Pakistan’s APP news agency reported.
“It is our determination to make farmers prosperous by adopting modern agricultural technology,” she was quoted as saying by APP. “On my invitation, a delegation of AI Force Tech will visit Punjab soon for the purpose.”
Pakistan, which has been faced with an economic crisis, is currently looking to boost its agricultural production and exports to earn precious foreign exchange to support its economy.
In August this year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan was looking forward to exploring new avenues to benefit from China’s agricultural prowess and “modernization.” He said that as he arrived in the Chinese city of Xi’an, which has matured into an agricultural, industrial and educational hub since the 1980s as part of the economic growth of inland China.
“Looking forward to learning about China’s agricultural modernization and innovation from the world class facilities of this great city,” the premier said on X. “Keen to explore new avenues of cooperation and further deepen our linkages in agriculture to enhance Pakistan’s food productivity and quality.”
In September, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan would be sending 1,000 agricultural experts to China to get training and transform the agriculture sector on modern lines.


Pakistan stock market crosses 111,000 points on hopes of interest rate cut 

Updated 10 December 2024
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Pakistan stock market crosses 111,000 points on hopes of interest rate cut 

  • KSE-100 index climbed 1,482.06 points, or 1.35 percent, to reach 111,452.44 points
  • Pakistan slashed interest rates by 250 basis points in November to revive economy

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) crossed 111,000 points during intra-day trading on Tuesday, analysts said, amid hopes of an interest rate cut.
The benchmark KSE-100 index climbed 1,482.06 points, or 1.35 percent, to reach 111,452.44 points from the previous close of 109,970.38 points, making it the 10th consecutive session when shares traded in green at the market.
Analysts credited the rally to positive sentiment prevailing in the market amid an optimistic overall outlook.
“Not unusual to see profit-taking come through after the steep recent increase,” Raza Jafri, head of equities at Intermarket Securities, told Arab News. “The overall outlook remains bullish though on reducing interest rates and the government’s commitment to reforms.”
Pakistan had slashed interest rate by 250 basis points in November to help revive a sluggish economy, amid a major drop in the annual inflation rate. The State Bank has slashed interest rate by 700 basis points (bps) in four consecutive meetings since June, bringing it to 15 percent.
According to a poll by Topline Securities, 71 percent of participants expect the central bank to announce a minimum rate cut of 200bps at the upcoming Monetary Policy Committee meeting on Dec. 16.
Arif Habib Corporation CEO Ahsan Mehanti said stocks remained bullish after National Savings Schemes rates were cut, amid speculation of further reductions.
“Robust economic indicators, rupee stability and recovery in global equities on receding geo-political tensions played a catalyst role in record surge at the PSX,” he told Arab News.
Pakistan’s annual consumer inflation also dropped to 4.9 percent in November below government projections, primarily due to a high base from the previous year. This marked a decline from 7.2 percent in October and a significant fall from the nearly 40 percent multi-decade high recorded in May 2023.


On International Human Rights Day, Pakistan urges world not to ‘turn a blind eye’ to Palestine

Updated 10 December 2024
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On International Human Rights Day, Pakistan urges world not to ‘turn a blind eye’ to Palestine

  • Pakistan does not recognize Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on ‘internationally agreed parameters’
  • President Asif Ali Zardari urges the international community to take ‘practical measures to end barbarism of Israel in Palestine’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged the world not to “turn a blind eye” to human rights violations in Gaza and the West Bank, his office said on Tuesday, as the world marked the International Human Rights Day.
Since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948, the International Human Rights Day is marked annually on Dec. 10 to remind all nations to adhere to protecting inviolable human rights and preserve human values.
In a statement issued from his office, Sharif said the South Asian country was fully cognizant of its regional and international commitments and had taken legislative, policy and programmatic measures for the promotion of human rights.
“While we commemorate International Human Rights Day, we should not forget the plight of the people of Palestine who are facing Israel’s brutal aggression in Gaza and the West Bank,” he said.
“The world should not turn a blind eye to the gravest human tragedies of our time and play its role to ask Israel to immediately cease the ongoing genocide of the people of Palestine.”
Sharif’s statement comes amid ongoing Israel’s military campaign in Gaza that has killed more than 43,000 people and injured thousands more since Oct 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas.
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters.” The South Asian country has dispatched several consignments of relief goods for Gaza, besides establishing the ‘Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for Gaza’ that aims to collect public donations for the war-affected people.
In his message on the International Human Rights Day, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari said they strongly condemned the “ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Palestinian people” by Israel in Gaza and other occupied Palestinian territories.
“We urge the international community to take practical measures to end the barbarism of Israel in Palestine,” he said.
“On this day, let’s pledge to fulfil our shared responsibility to protect and promote human rights to create a society based on equality, justice and human dignity.”