ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Ministry of Religious Affairs has initiated post-Hajj operations in the holy city of Madinah, Radio Pakistan reported on Wednesday, prioritizing that every Pakistani pilgrim got the opportunity to visit revered sites within the Prophet’s Mosque.
At least 160,000 Pakistanis attended this year’s annual Hajj pilgrimage, which ran from June 14-19. 
“Seventeen thousand Pakistani pilgrims visited Riaz ul Jannah in the post-Hajj period,” Radio Pakistan reported on the post-Hajj operations. 
“To facilitate these visits, special permits have been arranged by the ministry in coordination with the Saudi government. This has enabled thousands of Pakistani male and female pilgrims to visit Riaz Al-Jannah daily.”
The term means ‘garden of paradise’ in Arabic and refers to a small area between the pulpit (minbar) and the grave of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Director Hajj for Madinah, Zia Ur Rehman, said ensuring that every Pakistani pilgrim could visit Riaz Al-Jannah was the ministry’s “top priority” during the post-Hajj period.
“The successful organization of these visits reflects the ministry’s commitment to serving the spiritual needs of Pakistani pilgrims,” Rehman said.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday highlighted his country’s policy of engagement with the Central Asian Republics during a meeting in Dushanbe with his Tajik counterpart, Qohir Rasulzoda, offering him the use of Pakistan’s Karachi port for transit trade.
Sharif arrived in Tajikistan on a two-day official visit a day earlier, ahead of his plan to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Kazakhstan. The visit comes at a time when Pakistan is actively seeking to enhance its role as a pivotal trade and transit hub, connecting the landlocked Central Asian economies with the rest of the world by offering them access to the Arabian Sea.
The prime minister highlighted the “unlimited potential” for foreign investment in Pakistan’s key economic sectors during a meeting with Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon after arriving in Dushanbe.
During his conversation with the Tajik premier on Wednesday, Sharif hailed the signing of the Strategic Partnership Agreement between the two sides a day earlier as a “historic moment,” hoping it would further strengthen their bilateral ties.
“The Prime Minister underlined that Pakistan would continue to pursue enhanced engagement with Central Asian countries, including Tajikistan, in line with its ‘Vision Central Asia’ policy,” said a statement released by the PM Office after the meeting.
It added that he stressed enhanced regional connectivity and integration, describing them as key components for sustainable long term socio-economic development of the region.
“Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif invited the Tajik Prime Minister to use Karachi port for transit trade,” the statement added.
He said regional connectivity could be further promoted by the construction of rail tracks and roads between the two countries.
The prime minister also suggested that Pakistan could host a regional summit to provide trade corridors to Central Asian countries and promote commerce.
Sharif welcomed the launch of direct flight operation between Pakistan and Tajikistan after a private airline based in Dushanbe took the initiative last month, emphasizing the importance of increasing the number of these flights.
PARLIAMENTARY TIES
Earlier, he emphasized continued engagement between the parliamentarians in his country with their counterparts in Tajikistan, highlighting their role in bringing the people of the two countries together in a meeting with the chairman of the lower house of Tajik parliament in Dushanbe.
“Chairman of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Lower House) of Majlisi Oli (Tajik Parliament) of the Republic of Tajikistan Mr. Zokirzoda Mahmadtoir Zoir called on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in Dushanbe, today,” announced an official statement.

They expressed satisfaction at the inter-parliamentary cooperation between both countries and agreed to strengthen the already constituted Parliamentary Friendship Groups to further deepen bilateral ties.
“The Prime Minister emphasized that parliamentarians play a significant role in bringing the people of the two countries closer and strongly advocated for their sustained interaction and engagement,” the statement added.
Sharif also congratulated the Tajik official on the upcoming 30th anniversary of the constitution of his country.
The prime minister will conclude his two-day visit to Tajikistan before leaving for Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, to attend the SCO summit.