ISLAMABAD: Pakistani telecom operator, Zong, has announced a special call offer for Saudi Arabia and reduced tariffs ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, the company said on Friday.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and requires every adult Muslim to undertake the journey to the holy Islamic sites in Makkah at least once in their lifetime if they are financially and physically able.
Pakistan has a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims this year, of which around 70,000 people will perform the pilgrimage under the government scheme, while the rest will use private tour operators.
Zong said Pakistani customers may subscribe to its special IDD Saudi Arabia offer at just Rs2+tax per day and enjoy pulse-based calling at Rs0.70/second.
“The offer will assist Pakistanis to stay in touch with their loved ones performing Hajj during 2024 or residing in KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia),” the telecom operator said in a statement.
“Continuing to address the needs of our customers, we will continue to expand our International Dialing portfolio for our clients by offering more innovative products and services.”
This year’s pilgrimage is expected to run from June 14 till June 19. Pakistan’s pre-Hajj flight operation, which began on May 9, will continue until June 9.
Zong said its international dialing services have allowed Pakistanis to stay in touch with friends and families living abroad. “These bundles have been a major help to Pakistani in cross-border communication, especially during Eid-Ul-Adha 2024,” it added.
Eid Al-Adha, which begins on the 10th of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijjah, is one of the two biggest festivals of the Islamic calendar. Muslims around the globe mark the three-day festival by slaughtering animals such as sheep, goats and cows, and sharing their meat among family, friends and the poor.
Pakistani telecom operator reduces call tariffs for Saudi Arabia ahead of Hajj pilgrimage
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Pakistani telecom operator reduces call tariffs for Saudi Arabia ahead of Hajj pilgrimage

- Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and requires every adult Muslim to undertake the journey at least once in their lifetime
- Pakistan has Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims this year, of which around 70,000 people will perform pilgrimage under government scheme
US fund commits $10 million for startup investment initiative led by Pakistani tech leaders

- Mehwish Salman Ali, Malik Mudassir to receive $10 million to invest in high-potential startups planning to scale US operations
- Target investment range is $250,000 to $1.5 million per startup, portfolio size will be 15-20 carefully selected companies over 2 years
ISLAMABAD: The JR Dallas Tech Fund on Friday announced a “groundbreaking” $10 million commitment to globally recognized technology leaders, Pakistan’s Mehwish Salman Ali and Malik Mudassir, to spearhead an exclusive US-focused startup investment initiative.
Under the agreement, Ali and Mudassir will receive $10 million in dedicated capital to identify, evaluate, and invest in high-potential startups planning to scale operations in the United States. The duo will serve as lead investment partners with full authority to deploy capital across artificial intelligence, cloud computing, digital health, and frontier technology ventures.
“We are entrusting $10 million to two of the most visionary technology leaders of our generation,” said Jehangir A. Raja, Managing Partner at JR Dallas Tech Fund.
“Mehwish and Malik represent the perfect combination of technical expertise, entrepreneurial success, and strategic vision needed to identify the next generation of game-changing startups ready to conquer the American market.”
According to the statement by JR Dallas, economic impact projections of the funding include direct job creation, with portfolio companies expected to generate 300-500 high-skilled technology positions within 24 months.
The target investment range is $250,000 to $1.5 million per startup and focus areas are AI/Machine Learning, Cloud Infrastructure, Digital Health, Quantum Computing, Cybersecurity.
The portfolio size will be 15-20 carefully selected companies over 24 months.
The commitment will also strengthen Texas as a hub for international tech talent entering the US market and accelerate breakthrough technologies in AI, health care, and cloud infrastructure. Portfolio companies are also projected to contribute $50-100 million in US economic activity within three years.
Ali is the founder and CEO of Data Vault, Pakistan’s first solar-powered and quantum-encrypted AI data center, co-founder of Zahanat AI, the country’s first indigenous GPT model, and COO of AppsGenii Technologies.
As a TEDx speaker and Forbes Technology Council member, Ali’s track record in AI innovation, cybersecurity, and operational excellence “makes her uniquely qualified to identify transformative technologies ready for US market expansion,” JR Dallas said.
Mudassir is the founder & CEO of AppsGenii Technologies, operating across the US, UK, and Pakistan, and co-founder of multiple successful ventures including GharPar, BoxesGen, and Dental Connect. He is also a Central Executive Committee Member at P@SHA, Pakistan’s largest IT trade association.
Pakistan condemns Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon on eve of Eid Al-Adha

- Israeli strikes pummelled southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital late on Thursday, sending thousands fleeing
- Israeli strikes also hit southern Lebanese village of Ain Qana shortly after evacuation warnings were issued for the area
ISLAMABAD: The government of Pakistan on Friday “unequivocally” condemned airstrikes by Israeli forces on Beirut’s suburbs and parts of southern Lebanon on the eve of the Eid Al-Adha religious holiday, the foreign office said.
Israeli air strikes pummelled the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital late on Thursday, sending thousands of people fleeing on the eve of the Muslim feast day and prompting accusations by top Lebanese officials that Israel was violating a ceasefire deal.
At least 10 strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs — a sprawling area known as Dahiyeh — in a wave of bombing that began about 90 minutes after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for four sites in the area.
It was the fourth time that Dahiyeh has been bombed since a US-brokered truce in November ended a year-long war between Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese armed movement Hezbollah.
“These attacks, launched on the eve of Eid Al-Adha, constitute a blatant violation of international law, sovereignty of Lebanon, and the ceasefire agreement of November 2024,” the Pakistani foreign office said.
“The reckless use of force threatens civilian lives, fuels regional instability, and undermines efforts for lasting peace.”
Pakistan urged the international community, particularly the United Nations and ceasefire mediators, to take “immediate action to hold Israeli occupying forces accountable and prevent further escalation.”
The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire says Hezbollah must pull all military equipment and fighters out of southern Lebanon and says all non-state militant groups must be disarmed across the country.
The Israeli military said on Thursday it was planning to strike “underground UAV production infrastructure sites that were deliberately established in the heart of the civilian population” in Dahiyeh.
It said Hezbollah was producing thousands of drones there, “with the direction and funding of Iranian terrorists.”
There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah, which in the past has denied placing military infrastructure in civilian areas.
Israeli strikes also hit the southern Lebanese village of Ain Qana, according to Lebanese state media, shortly after evacuation warnings were issued for the area.
The attacks occurred as the Muslim holiday Eid Al-Adha was due to begin on Thursday. The strikes “generated renewed panic and fear on the eve of Eid Al-Adha,” the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon said on X.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam both condemned the attacks as a “blatant violation” of international agreements.
With inputs from Reuters
Trump says brokered India-Pakistan ceasefire on trade warning, threat of nuclear war

- India and Pakistan reached US-brokered ceasefire on May 10 to end hostilities that had spiraled alarmingly, threatening regional peace
- Between May 7-10, two sides used fighter jets, drones, missiles, artillery to attack each other in worst fighting between them in decades
ISLAMABAD: President Donald Trump said this week he had brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan last month through a trade warning and because of the threat of the conflict spiraling into a nuclear war.
Nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all military actions on land, in the air and at the sea on May 10 in a US-brokered ceasefire to end escalating hostilities that had spiraled alarmingly, threatening regional peace.
The two sides used fighter jets, drones, missiles and artillery to attack each other in the worst fighting between them in decades, leaving around 70 people dead on both sides of the border.
Speaking at the White House where he was hosting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said on Thursday he was “proud” that he has been able to broker the truce.
“I spoke to some very talented people on both sides ... and I said, you know, we’re dealing with you on trade, Pakistan and India right now. I said we’re not going to deal with you on trade if you’re going to go shooting each other and whipping out nuclear weapons that maybe even affect us,” Trump said.
“Because you know that nuclear dust blows across oceans very quickly, it affects us.
“And I said if you’re going to do that, we’re not going to do any trade deals, and you know what, I got that war stopped.”
He credited the “good and strong” leadership of both countries for backing off from the military confrontation.
Since the ceasefire, Pakistan has repeatedly thanked Trump for his mediation during the crisis while India rejects it acted due to US pressure.
Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations and both countries have fought three wars, two of them over the disputed region of Kashmir. The latest military conflict between them was also triggered by a gun attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists on April 22.
India struck multiple Pakistani cities on May 7, blaming the April 22 attack on Pakistan. Islamabad denied any complicity in the assault and reciprocated with similar strikes against Indian military targets. A ceasefire was brokered on May 10 after both countries struck each other’s air bases, airfields and other military facilities.
Under new World Bank threshold, over 44% Pakistanis now live below poverty line

- Over 107 million Pakistanis live below poverty line, earning less than Rs1,200 a day
- Over 39 million included in extreme poverty category, as per new poverty threshold
ISLAMABAD: Around 44.7% of Pakistan’s population is now considered to be living below the poverty line, according to the World Bank’s newly updated global poverty threshold set at $4.20 per person per day and released this week.
Christina Wieser, senior economist at the World Bank and Tobias Haque, lead country economist for World Bank Pakistan, told media on Thursday the Bank was updating its global poverty lines to reflect changes in the cost of living and consumption habits of people around the world based on newly available data.
As price levels and the cost of basic needs across the world and within income groups evolve, global poverty lines are periodically updated to allow for global comparisons, Wieser said.
The new poverty lines are $3 per person per day for low-income countries (LIC), $4.20 for lower-middle-income countries (LMIC) and $8.30 for upper-middle-income countries (UMIC.)
Pakistan, with a population of over 240 million, is considered a lower-middle-income nation.
“The revisions help position Pakistan’s poverty levels in a global context and underscore the importance of continued efforts to reduce vulnerability and improve resilience,” World Bank Country Director for Pakistan Najy Benhassine told media.
“The new figures reflect updated international thresholds and improved data from other countries, not a deterioration in living standards.”
As a lower-middle-income country, Pakistan’s new poverty statistics reveal that the extreme poverty line, now at $3 per person per day, applies to 16.5% of its population, a substantial increase from 4.9% under the previous $2.15 benchmark.
The upper-middle-income poverty line, established at $8.30 per person per day, applies to 88.4% of the country’s population.
As per the new poverty threshold, more than 107.95 million people in Pakistan are living below the poverty line, earning less than Rs1,200 a day, while more than 39.8 million people are included in the extreme poverty category.
The updated figures are part of the World Bank’s Global Poverty June Update 2025, an initiative aimed at enhancing the precision and relevance of global poverty assessments.
Pakistani PM to meet Saudi Crown Prince today to bolster bilateral ties, discuss regional security

- During his stay on June 5 and 6, Sharif will celebrate Eid Al-Adha, hold bilateral meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
- Discussions are expected to focus on enhancing cooperation in trade, investment and regional security, welfare of Muslim Ummah
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia this week where he will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman today, Friday, and discuss trade and investment as well as regional security matters.
The Pakistani prime minister will celebrate Eid Al-Adha in the Kingdom and hold a bilateral meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince that is expected to focus on enhancing cooperation in trade, investment and regional security.
Sharif reached Jeddah on Thursday evening and departed for Makkah to perform Umrah, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
“The two leaders will discuss ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields, including trade and investment, welfare of the Muslim Ummah, and regional peace and security,” PMO said about Sharif’s meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince later today, Friday.
Sharif is also expected to express gratitude to the Saudi leadership for their role in de-escalating recent tensions between Pakistan and India.
Last month, following the worst military confrontation between India and Pakistan in decades, Saudi Arabia, along with other Gulf nations, played a key role in mediating between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, helping to avert a potential war.
The visit also comes amid deepening economic ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. In recent months, the two countries have signed multiple agreements aimed at boosting bilateral trade and investment. Notably, Saudi Arabia has committed to a $5 billion investment package to support Pakistan’s economy, which has been grappling with a balance of payments crisis.
Last year, Saudi and Pakistani businessmen signed 34 memorandums of understanding worth $2.8 billion, covering sectors such as industry, technology, and agriculture. Additionally, Saudi Arabia’s Manara Minerals is in talks to acquire a 10-20 percent stake in Pakistan’s $9 billion Reko Diq copper and gold mining project, one of the largest of its kind globally.
Defense cooperation is also a key component of the bilateral relationship. The two nations have a history of military collaboration, with Saudi Arabia providing support to Pakistan during times of regional tension and Pakistan training Saudi forces.
Pakistan has a 2.7 million-strong diaspora in Saudi Arabia, which accounts for the highest remittance inflow, a crucial lifeline for the country’s economy.