ISLAMABAD: A 45-member Saudi delegation arrived in Islamabad on Sunday to review arrangements for the Makkah Route Initiative, the religion ministry said, as Pakistan gears up for Hajj 2025.
The Makkah Route Initiative is designed to streamline immigration processes by enabling pilgrims to complete official travel formalities at their departure airports. Initially tested in Islamabad in 2019, the program was later expanded to Karachi, benefitting tens of thousands of Pakistani travelers.
The annual pilgrimage is expected to take place in June, with nearly 90,000 Pakistanis expected to travel to Saudi Arabia under the government scheme while 23,620 Pakistanis will perform Hajj through private tour operators this year.
“A 45-member delegation has arrived in Pakistan to review arrangements for the Road to Makkah project,” the religious affairs ministry said in a statement.
Saudi immigration officials, designated for Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, were warmly welcomed by the airport management team upon arrival in the southern port city, the Pakistan Airports Authority said.
“Under the Road to Makkah initiative, the Saudi immigration team will carry out Saudi immigration clearance for Hajj pilgrims at eight dedicated counters at Jinnah International Airport, starting 29 April, coinciding with the departure of first Hajj flight from Karachi,” it said in a statement.
“This initiative will streamline the pilgrims’ entry process into Saudi Arabia by completing immigration formalities before departure from Pakistan.”
Under the Road to Makkah project, immigration for Pakistani pilgrims will be completed in Pakistan instead of Saudi Arabia.
Around 50,500 Pakistani pilgrims will travel to Saudi Arabia under the Makkah Route Initiative, according to the Pakistani religion ministry. Of these, 28,000 pilgrims will depart for the Kingdom from Islamabad while the remaining 22,500 will leave from the southern port city of Karachi.
“A total of 100 flights from Islamabad and 80 flights from Karachi will operate under the Road to Makkah project,” the statement said.
Pakistan will launch Hajj flight operations on Apr. 29, with the first flight departing from the eastern city of Lahore.
While a precise number of pilgrims for Hajj 2025 is difficult to determine in advance, projections suggest it will be a record-breaking year, with over 2.5 million pilgrims expected.

ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said this week that the possibility of Pakistan’s tensions with India escalating into a nuclear conflict is a “far-fetched analysis,” saying that both countries are aware of the consequences of such a scenario.

Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors spiked this week after gunmen killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on Apr. 22. New Delhi blamed Islamabad for being involved in the attack and downgraded ties with Pakistan. Islamabad denies New Delhi’s allegations.

Troops from both sides have traded fire along the disputed Kashmir territory for three nights in a row, raising fears of an all-out war breaking out between the two nations who both possess nuclear weapons. 

When asked about the possibility of a “nuclear standoff” between the two countries, Asif told Russia Today channel on Saturday:

“I don’t think so, that’s a very far-fetched analysis that this will ultimately result in a nuclear conflict. I don’t think so, the countries know the consequences of a nuclear conflict.”

The minister said that the presence of nuclear weapons guarantees Pakistan that India will not escalate military tensions. 

“Knowing that we are nuclear powers gives us some sort of security against an irresponsible adventure by India,” he said, describing it as the “only hostile country around us.”

Asif said Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has offered cooperation to India in holding an international inquiry with the support of several countries into the attack that triggered tensions between the two countries. 

“We are ready to welcome any commission or committee formed to investigate this incident,” the minister said. 

Asif condemned India’s move to release additional flow of water into Pakistan on Saturday, which prompted the government in Pakistan-administered Kashmir to warn residents about potential flooding in its river Jhelum.

The Jhelum river flows from Indian-administered Kashmir into Azad Kashmir and then Pakistan’s Punjab province. India had announced this week it was suspending the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty, which regulates the flow of the six rivers of the Indus Basin between the two nations. 
Suspension of the treaty means India can stop sharing crucial information and data on the release of water from barrages/dams or on flooding.
“I would call it water terrorism,” he said. “Without any warning. So low-lying areas in Pakistan would be flooded, there will be destruction of crops, there will be destruction of populated areas,” he added.

As per the Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan has rights to the western rivers— Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab— for irrigation, drinking, and non-consumptive uses like hydropower. India controls the eastern rivers— Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej— for unrestricted use but must not significantly alter their flow.

India can use the western rivers for limited purposes such as power generation and irrigation, without storing or diverting large volumes. Experts, like Hassaan F. Khan from Tufts University, argue that India lacks the infrastructure to divert large amounts of Indus waters.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday warned attempts to reduce or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty would be “responded to with full force.”