ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia’s football team arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) confirmed, a day before the two sides meet each other for a round two clash of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki received the team at the Islamabad airport. Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) officials, the secretary of Pakistan’s Inter-Provincial Coordination ministry and Rana Mashhood, chairman of the PM’s Youth Program, were also present on the occasion.
“Saudi Arabian football team reached Islamabad from Riyadh by chartered flight,” the PSB said. “Saudi Arabian football team is visiting Pakistan for the first time.”
The visiting team was shifted from the airport to the hotel where they are staying under tight security, the board said.
The match between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is scheduled to take place on June 6 at the Jinnah Football Stadium in Islamabad.
It takes place months after Saudi Arabia thumped Pakistan 4-0 in the first leg of the qualifying matches when the Group G sides faced off at Al Ahsa city in November 2023.
Pakistan suffered another setback in round one of the qualifiers when they lost 6-1 to Tajikistan in Islamabad days after losing to Saudi Arabia. The green shirts will face Tajikistan on June 11 in Dushanbe in what will be their final round 2 away fixture.
Pakistan are in Group G of the World Cup qualifiers with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Tajikistan. In the second round of the qualifiers, a total of 36 football squads have been split into nine groups with four teams each. The winners and runners-up from each group would go through to the third round.
Pakistan are already eliminated after four consecutive losses and a -19 goal differential. Pakistan squad:
Goalkeepers: Yousuf Butt (D), Saqib Hanif and Hassan Ali
Defenders: Abdullah Iqbal (D), Mohammad Fazal (D), Haseeb Khan, Rao Omer Hayat, Mamoon Moosa, Mohammad Saddam, Waqar Ihtisham, Moin Ahmed and Abdul Rehman
Midfielders: Rahis Nabi (D), Otis Khan (D), Ali Uzair, Umair Ali, Toqeer ul Hassan, Alamgir Ghazi and Ali Zafar
Forwards: Imran Kayani (D), McKeal Abdulah, Fareedulah, Adeel Younas and Shayak Dost
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religion ministry said on Sunday that modern information technology (IT) systems and the government’s official Hajj mobile application are facilitating pilgrims and ensuring “complete automation” of the country’s pilgrimage operations.
Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry launched the “Pak Hajj 2025” mobile application in November to guide and facilitate pilgrims about the 2025 pilgrimage.
Pakistani pilgrims used the app, which is available for both Android and iPhone, last year as well to secure important updates and information about the Hajj pilgrimage.
Speaking to state broadcaster Radio Pakistan, Jamil ur Rehman, assistant director of the religion ministry’s IT cell, spoke about key features of the app.
“He said complete automation has been ensured from application submission to post-Hajj feedback, using modern IT systems and the Pak Hajj App,” the state broadcaster said.
Rehman said the app provides pilgrims with real-time access to their Hajj application status, group details, training schedules and vaccination appointments.
Once training is completed, he said, intending pilgrims’ attendance is marked in the app and their flight details appear as soon as seats are allocated.
Rehman said the app’s feedback feature allows pilgrims to regularly share their experiences and suggestions. He also spoke about a real-time complaint management system available in the app.
“Pilgrims can report any issues, which are immediately assigned to the officer concerned,” Rehman said.
“The app displays the complaint’s status, the responsible officer, and updates until the issue is resolved.”
The religion ministry official hoped baggage mishandling would be significantly reduced through the introduction of QR-coded tags, which are linked to each pilgrim’s profile, including their photograph.
“This allows quick identification and tracking of luggage,” he said.
Pilgrims from across the world are converging in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, which begins on the 8th of Dhu Al-Hijjah, the final month of the Islamic calendar.
The first groups of Pakistani pilgrims are scheduled to depart for Makkah on May 7 after completing their eight-day stay in Madinah. Departures will follow the sequence of their arrival in the city, according to the religious affairs ministry.
ISLAMABAD: In a country where conservative social norms often discourage casual dating, nearly 190 Pakistanis gathered in Islamabad on Saturday for a rare singles meet-up offering a more open, yet culturally respectful, route to finding a life partner.
Organized by Muzz, the world’s largest Muslim marriage app with over 15 million members, the event launched a series of matchmaking gatherings across Pakistan under the banner “Baat Pakki,” an Urdu phrase used when families agree to a marriage match. Muzz told Arab News it has over 2 million users in Pakistan.
A chaperone was mandatory for every participant, reflecting cultural sensitivities and ensuring seriousness.
“The goal of the event today was to help people of mixed ages to be able to meet each other,” Shahzad Younas, CEO of Muzz, told Arab News.
“The job of the team here … is to help people mingle and make sure that hopefully by the end of the event, everyone has talked to everyone who’s potentially compatible with them,” he added.
Singles talk to each other at the Muzz “Baat Pakki” event in Islamabad, Pakistan, on May 3, 2025. (AN photo)
Attendees were divided into three age groups — 22 to 30, 30 to 40 and 40-plus — with an adjoining lounge for family members. Icebreaker questions and Muzz staff helped start conversations at each table.
Singles first met within their age group before being introduced to others, aiming for broad interaction during the four-hour gathering.
The event was unique in a country where marriages are traditionally arranged by families or through professional matchmakers known as “Rishta Aunties,” who connect prospective families but rarely allow singles to meet independently before a match is proposed.
“Involving parents makes the process more transparent,” said Nazleen Javed, 65, who attended with her daughter. “Matchmakers are fake. See if you are coming with mother, your lie gets caught. A mother cannot lie, and the blessings of parents are different.”
Mothers talk to each other at the Muzz “Baat Pakki” event in Islamabad, Pakistan, on May 3, 2025. (AN photo)
Others valued the chance to break away from rigid traditions.
“This way is better because you can see, talk and get a feel of the person,” said Noreen Khan, who came with her son. “Children have to spend their lives together. They should have some freedom to meet and speak to each other.”
Maheen, 27, said she had long been uncomfortable with conventional arranged marriage practices.
“I am not fond of the traditional way [of matchmaking] wherein the boy’s family visits your house and you, holding the tray, enter the room and they are looking at you, picking out faults,” she said.
“You [should be able to] talk to each other one-on-one, face-to-face, without the fear of rejection,” she continued. “That’s why I am here.”
A mothers talks to Muzz team at the “Baat Pakki” event in Islamabad, Pakistan, on May 3, 2025. (AN photo)
Fariha Khan, 36, who works in the NGO sector in Peshawar, appreciated the diversity of participants.
“People from different cities and castes met here. That hesitation around differences was reduced today.”
Saad Waheed, 28, a mechanical engineer, admitted feeling uneasy at first after arriving at the event.
“I was a little bit hesitant … because I needed a chaperone and it felt very strange to me,” he said. “But in the long run, it makes sense. It means that everyone that’s here is serious about what they have signed up for.”
Singles and parents are pictured at the at the Muzz “Baat Pakki” event in Islamabad, Pakistan, on May 3, 2025. (AN photo)
Waheed also maintained matrimonial apps often felt impersonal to him.
“Single events like these offer a chance to make friends, which is a more natural way of meeting a partner.”
Nayab Nazir, Muzz’s marketing lead for Pakistan, said participants can later review the profiles of those they met through the app.
“I go back home, and if I have liked, let’s say, five people at the event, I can actually go and look at all those five profiles and connect directly instead of having a third person in between.”
Founded in 2015, Muzz has increasingly adapted its approach for Pakistan’s cultural context.
“We actually found that by inviting the mums it just helped make sure everyone was more serious,” Younas, the company’s CEO, said.
“It helps reduce the taboo of going to a singles event effectively,” he added. “A lot of mums can meet each other. They can see lots of people in one place in just a few hours.”
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Muscat on a day-long visit on Sunday, the interior ministry said, to meet high-level Omani officials and discuss the regional situation amid Islamabad’s spike in tensions with New Delhi.
In an earlier statement, the interior ministry said Naqvi would depart for a visit to Gulf countries today in light of the regional situation. However, it did not mention which Gulf countries other than Oman he would visit.
Naqvi’s visit takes place as fears of a military confrontation between India and Pakistan loom large after New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing the perpetrators of an Apr. 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists. Pakistan denies involvement and has called for an international probe into the incident.
“Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has arrived in Muscat on a one-day official visit to Oman,” the interior ministry said in a statement.
It said Naqvi was received at the airport by Oman’s Interior Secretary Sayyid Khalid bin Hilal bin Saud Al Busaidi and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Oman Syed Naveed Safdar Bokhari and other dignitaries.
“We want to enhance cooperation with Oman in combating drug trafficking and human smuggling,” Naqvi was quoted as saying by his ministry.
The statement said Naqvi will meet senior Omani officials to present Pakistan’s stance on the evolving regional situation following Islamabad’s surging tensions with New Delhi.
Pakistan has increasingly engaged countries such as the US, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, South Korea and other nations in recent days to present its point of view regarding its tensions with India.
The border forces of both countries have traded fire for 10 consecutive days along the Line of Control frontier in Kashmir, which acts as a de facto border between India and Pakistan, international media reports say.
Both countries have also traded diplomatic barbs, expelled each other’s nationals and closed a key lander border route.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week gave the Indian military “operational freedom” to respond to the Kashmir attack. Pakistan has since then conducted war exercises and vowed that any military action from India would invite a “strong” response.
Both nuclear-armed nations have fought two out of three wars since 1947 over the disputed Kashmir territory. India and Pakistan claim the entire region but administer only parts of it
ISLAMABAD: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has established a War Fund to express solidarity with Pakistan’s armed forces, state-run media reported on Sunday, as Islamabad’s tensions with New Delhi continue to surge.
The LCCI is one of the most prominent Pakistani chambers of commerce in the country. It represents the interests of the business community, both locally and nationally, with responsibilities including advocacy, trade policy representation and economic regulation.
The LCCI made the announcement as Pakistan’s tensions with India continue to surge following the Apr. 22 attack at a popular tourist resort in Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 26 tourists. New Delhi blames Islamabad for backing perpetrators of the attack, an allegation Pakistan vehemently denies.
“Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has announced to establish a “War Fund” to express national solidarity with armed forces during wartime conditions,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
LCCI President Mian Abuzar Shad was quoted by Radio Pakistan as saying that the fund has been initially established with Rs10 million [$35,683], adding that they intended to collect Rs1 billion [$3,571,429] which would be achieved “very soon.”
Fears of a military confrontation between the nuclear-armed nations, who both rule the disputed Kashmir territory in part but claim it in entirety, have surged after Apr. 22.
Both nations’ forces have traded fire over the Line of Control frontier in Kashmir while diplomats have exchanged barbs and both countries have expelled citizens and ordered their land border shut.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the Indian military the “operational freedom” to respond to the Apr. 22 attack. Pakistan has since then conducted war exercises and vowed that military action from India would result in a “strong” response.
Several countries such as the US, China, UK, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and other Middle Eastern nations have called on both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and avoid an armed confrontation.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar this week reiterated the government’s commitment to ensure foreign investment from friendly countries translates into “tangible outcomes,” state-run media reported amid Islamabad’s attempts to achieve sustainable economic progress.
Pakistan has looked toward regional partners and friendly nations, particularly Gulf states, in the past few months to increasingly attract foreign trade and investment.
At the heart of Islamabad’s efforts lies a prolonged macroeconomic crisis that has drained the country’s revenues, triggered a balance of payment crisis and battered its economy.
“Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has reiterated the government’s commitment to provide all necessary facilitation to translate foreign investments into tangible outcomes for economic growth and prosperity,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday.
Dar was chairing a high-level meeting in Islamabad on Saturday to review progress related to investment initiatives by friendly countries across infrastructure, energy, petroleum and economic development sectors.
“The deputy prime minister emphasized streamlined processes, enhanced institutional coordination, and fast-tracked implementation of investment projects,” the report said.
To fast-track decisions related to international investment, Pakistan formed the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) in June 2023.
The SIFC is a hybrid civil-government body formed to attract international investment in priority sectors of the economy such as energy, tourism, agriculture, livestock, mines and minerals, and others.
Since it was formed, the government says the SIFC has helped it sign memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with several countries worth billions of dollars.
