ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iraq have agreed on a slew of measures to facilitate Pakistani pilgrims traveling to the Middle Eastern country for the Arbaeen religious festival, state-run media said, which include easing travel restrictions and operating special flights between the two countries.
Arbaeen is a significant event in the Islamic calendar observed by Shia Muslims around the world. It signifies the end of a 40-day mourning period for Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) grandson Imam Hussain, who was killed in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.
Pilgrims from Pakistan and all around the world flock to the Middle Eastern country every year to pay tribute to Hussain on the occasion.
“Pakistan and Iraq have agreed to operate special flights for Pakistani pilgrims on the occasion of Arbaeen,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said on Wednesday.
“Both sides agreed that Pakistani pilgrims traveling to Iraq for Arbaeen would no longer need to surrender their passports upon arrival.”
The decision was reached during a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Iraq’s Ambassador Hamid Abbas Lafta. As per the APP, both officials promised to make the religious journey smoother and more accessible for thousands of devotees.
It was agreed during the meeting that Iraq would increase the quota for Pakistani pilgrims and would issue them visas directly from the Embassy of Iraq, APP said.
The state media also said that a new Iraqi consulate would also be opened in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi.
Both countries would also initiate a crackdown on travel agents charging excessive fees to pilgrims, APP said. A visa waiver agreement on diplomatic and official passports was also reached during the meeting, the state media reported, adding that Pakistan requested the same for citizens who held regular passports.
Decisions taken in the meeting aimed to provide equal facilities to Pakistani pilgrims by ensuring a hassle-free experience, APP said. It said Naqvi also managed to secure approval from Aviation Minister Khawaja Asif to allow Iraqi airlines to operate special flights to Pakistan for the occasion.
This development marked a significant improvement in travel arrangements for Pakistani pilgrims, promising a more convenient and accessible journey to Iraq, APP said.
Pakistan, Iraq announce slew of measures for Pakistani pilgrims traveling for Arbaeen
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Pakistan, Iraq announce slew of measures for Pakistani pilgrims traveling for Arbaeen
- Arbaeen marks end of 40-day mourning period for Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) grandson Imam Hussain
- Pakistani pilgrims traveling to Iraq will not have to surrender passports on arrival, says state-run media
Pakistan says Zainebiyoun Brigade militant arrested in Karachi for involvement in sectarian attacks
- CTD says suspect was directly and indirectly involved in sectarian activities funded by Zainebiyoun Brigade
- Pakistan’s interior ministry designated Zainebiyoun Brigade as a “terrorist” organization in March 2024
KARACHI: The Counterterrorism Department (CTD) in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province said on Saturday it had arrested a key member of the Iran-backed Zainebiyoun Brigade outfit in Karachi, accusing him of being involved in sectarian attacks in the city.
Pakistani authorities have arrested several militants affiliated with the Zainebiyoun Brigade in recent years, notably in the country’s commercial hub of Karachi. The city has been a significant recruitment hub for the militant outfit, along with three other regions – Parachinar, Quetta and Gilgit Baltistan.
Pakistan’s interior ministry designated Zainebiyoun Brigade as a “terrorist” organization in March 2024, saying it had reasons to believe the outfit was engaged in certain activities “prejudicial to the peace and security of the country.”
The CTD said in its press release that Syed Muhammad Musa Rizvi, alias Kamran, was arrested from the city’s Soldier Bazaar area, adding that the accused had been in hiding for fear of being arrested.
“The suspect is an important member of the Zainebiyoun Brigade and has been directly and indirectly involved in various sectarian activities that have been regularly funded by the organization,” the CTD said.
It said Rizvi had confessed to carrying out a sectarian attack in Karachi’s Taimuria area on Sept. 5, 2023, which had resulted in the killing of a person named Qari Khurram and injuries to two others.
The CTD said Rizvi also confessed to killing a person named Sher Khan on Sep. 20, 2023, in Karachi’s Mobina Town with his accomplices and another named Jannat Gul on Nov. 26, 2023, in the city’s Sachal area.
It said that Rizvi confessed that on Nov. 13, 2024, that he played the role of a facilitator in the killing of a person named Syed Abu Hashim in Karachi’s Samanabad area.
It said that the suspect was being investigated for terror financing and other cases based on which he had been arrested.
“The investigation of the accused is going on and more revelations are expected,” the CTD said.
In January 2024, Sindh CTD said it had apprehended Syed Muhammad Mehdi, a suspected militant associated with the Zainebiyoun Brigade who had been involved in an assassination attempt on Mufti Taqi Usmani, a top Pakistani cleric, in Karachi in 2019. The attack had killed two of Mufti Usmani’s guards.
In July 2022, then Pakistan interior minister Rana Sanaullah Khan told the Senate that Zainebiyoun Brigade members were among the militants “found actively involved in terrorist activities” in the country in 2019-2021.
Pakistan Navy stresses importance of combat readiness to counter regional maritime threats
- Pakistan navy chief chairs meeting of apex decision-making forum to discuss plans, review policies
- Appreciates navy’s efforts in acquiring advanced platforms and technologies to counter threats
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s navy chief this week stressed the importance of maintaining combat readiness to counter conventional and non-conventional regional maritime threats, the navy said in a statement, appreciating the force’s efforts in acquiring the latest technologies and advanced platforms.
Pakistan’s Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf chaired the Command & Staff Conference at the Naval Headquarters in Islamabad on Friday.
The Command & Staff Conference is the apex decision-making forum of the Pakistan Navy, where Ashraf, along with all principal staff officers and field commanders, review policies and strategic plans.
“The Naval Chief emphasized the importance of maintaining perpetual combat readiness to effectively counter both traditional and non-traditional threats in the maritime domain,” a statement by the navy said on Friday.
“He appreciated the navy’s efforts in acquiring advanced platforms and technologies, expressing confidence in its operational preparedness to safeguard Pakistan’s maritime frontiers.”
The navy said that participants of the conference assessed the evolving maritime situation in the region with a focus on national security, geostrategic affairs and combat readiness.
Ashraf commended the navy for successfully hosting the multinational AMAN-25 naval exercise and the AMAN Dialogue, underscoring their significance in fostering maritime collaboration among regional and extra-regional naval forces.
“He noted that these initiatives reflect Pakistan’s commitment to cooperative maritime security, in line with the navy’s vision for a secure and stable maritime environment,” the navy said.
Pakistan Navy regularly collaborates with allies and friendly nations, conducting joint military exercises and other activities to enhance synergy, promote regional peace and stability, deter piracy, drug trafficking and other illicit maritime activities.
Mumbai attacks: India questions Pakistan-born Canadian accused after extradition
- India accuses Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 66, of being one of the key plotters of the 2008 Mumbai attacks
- Pakistan has distanced itself from Rana, saying he hasn’t renewed his Pakistani-origin documents in two decades
NEW DELHI: Indian investigative agencies on Friday questioned a man they extradited from the United States and charged with being a “mastermind” of the deadly 2008 Mumbai siege.
India accuses Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 66, of being a member of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group, designated by the United Nations as a “terrorist” organization.
Rana, a Pakistan-born Canadian, has denied all charges — including waging war against India, conspiring to commit murder and acts of “terrorism.” He could face the death penalty if convicted.
New Delhi blamed the LeT group — as well as intelligence officials from New Delhi’s arch-enemy Pakistan — for the 2008 Mumbai attacks when 10 gunmen carried out a multi-day siege of the country’s financial capital.
Nine of the attackers died in the siege, while one captured alive was tried and hanged.
India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), which accuses Rana of being the attack’s “mastermind,” took him into custody under heavy guard after he arrived in a special flight to the capital New Delhi on Thursday evening.
“Rana will remain in custody for 18 days, during which the agency will question him in detail in order to unravel the complete conspiracy behind the deadly 2008 attacks,” NIA said.
Rana, who served in the Pakistani army’s medical corps, faces 10 criminal charges including conspiracy, murder, commission of a “terrorist” act, and forgery.
Rana, who has denied the charges, is accused by India of helping his long-term friend, David Coleman Headley, who was sentenced by a US court in 2013 to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to aiding LeT militants, including by scouting target locations in Mumbai.
Rana is accused of playing a smaller role than Headley, but India maintains he is one of the key plotters.
He was flown to India after the US Supreme Court this month rejected his bid to remain in the United States, where he was serving a 14-year sentence related to another LeT-linked attack.
India released a photograph of Rana arriving in Delhi, taken from his back, dressed in a brown jumpsuit and guarded by NIA officers.
India also accused Pakistan of direct involvement in the Mumbai attack and Rana of having connections with its intelligence agencies, charges Islamabad denies.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesman Shafqat Ali said that Rana “did not apply to renew Pakistani documents over the past two decades.”
Most parts of Pakistan to experience heatwave conditions from tomorrow— Met Office
- Day temperatures likely to remain 06 to 08°C above normal in southern Pakistan, says Met Office
- Says rising temperatures in northern areas may increase the melting of snowfall from Apr. 14-18
ISLAMABAD: Most parts of the country are likely to experience heatwave conditions from tomorrow, Apr. 13, Pakistan’s Meteorological (Met) Department said this week as it warned citizens to take precautionary measures to stay safe.
In a press release issued on Friday, the Met Office predicted that a high-pressure system is likely to grip the upper atmosphere from Apr. 13, due to which heatwave conditions may develop in most parts of the country.
It said these conditions are expected to change into “severe heatwave conditions” in southern Pakistan from Monday, Apr. 14.
“Day temperatures are likely to remain 06 to 08°C above normal in southern half (Sindh, southern Punjab and Balochistan) from 13th to 18th April,” the weather department said.
It added that day temperatures are likely to remain 04 to 06°C above normal in central and upper Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan during the same period.
The PMD urged children, women and senior citizens to take precautionary measures against the heat such as avoiding exposure to direct sunlight during the day and remaining hydrated.
“Farmers are advised to manage their crop activities (wheat harvesting) keeping in view the weather conditions and take care of their livestock as well,” it said.
The Met Office said that rising temperatures in Pakistan’s northern areas may increase snowfall melting from Apr. 14-18.
“All concerned authorities are advised to remain “ALERT” and take necessary measures to avoid any untoward situation due to heatwave conditions,” it added.
Pakistan has witnessed frequent, erratic changes in its weather patterns, including floods, droughts, cyclones, torrential rainstorms, heatwaves and the slow-onset threat of glacial melting, in recent years that scientists have blamed on human-driven climate change.
In 2022, unusually heavy rains triggered floods in many parts of the country, killing over 1,700 people, inflicting economic losses of around $30 billion and affecting at least 30 million people.
Pakistan thanks Saudi Arabia for granting permission for 10,000 additional Hajj pilgrims
- Ishaq Dar says Prince Faisal bin Farhan helped secure the permission after they spoke over the phone this week
- Pakistan will begin its Hajj operations on April 29 when the first flight will take local pilgrims to Saudi Arabia
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who also serves as foreign minister, said on Friday Saudi Arabia had granted special permission for an additional 10,000 Pakistani nationals to perform Hajj this year, following his recent phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
Saudi authorities allocate fixed Hajj quotas to Muslim-majority countries to manage the annual pilgrimage, which draws over two million worshippers from around the world to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
Pakistan has been allotted a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for Hajj 2025. According to Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, around 90,000 of them are expected to perform the pilgrimage under the government scheme.
“Grateful to my Dear Brother and Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, HH Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud @FaisalbinFarhan for arranging special permission for additional 10,000 Pakistanis to perform Hajj this year, following my telephonic conversation with him on 9th April 2025,” Dar said in a post on social media.
Pakistani authorities have been urging pilgrims to respect Saudi laws and customs during their stay in the Kingdom in the mandatory Hajj training workshops organized ahead of departure.
The country will begin its Hajj operations on April 29 when the first government-arranged flight will carry pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
Hajj rituals are expected to take place between June 4 and June 9 this year, depending on the sighting of the moon.
