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Pakistan receives 72,000 applications for government Hajj scheme as Dec. 10 deadline approaches

Pakistan receives 72,000 applications for government Hajj scheme as Dec. 10 deadline approaches
An official of Makkah Route handovers the passport of a pilgrim at immigration as he leaves for Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage from Pakistan on May 20, 2024. (SPA/File)
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Updated 08 December 2024
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Pakistan receives 72,000 applications for government Hajj scheme as Dec. 10 deadline approaches

Pakistan receives 72,000 applications for government Hajj scheme as Dec. 10 deadline approaches
  • Saudi Arabia has allotted Pakistan a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for upcoming Hajj pilgrimage
  • Pakistan allowed intending pilgrims to pay Hajj fees in installments for the first time this year
Updated 08 December 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan
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KARACHI: Pakistan has received 72,000 applications for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage under the government scheme, the religious affairs ministry said on Sunday, two days before the expiry of Dec. 10 deadline to submit applications.
Saudi Arabia has allotted Pakistan a total quota of 179,210 pilgrims for the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage, which would be divided equally between the government and private schemes. Around 15 Pakistani banks started receiving applications from intending pilgrims on Nov. 18
The government last week extended the Dec. 3 deadline to submit applications to Dec. 10 to receive applications for 21,000 seats still vacant. All applications received till Dec. 3 have been accepted, including the ones received through the sponsorship scheme.
“Two days are left to enter the government Hajj scheme,” the religious affairs ministry said in a statement. “Designated banks will continue receiving Hajj applications on Monday and Tuesday.”
Last year, Pakistan surrendered 21,000 Hajj seats to Saudi Arabia due to a shortage of applications, but this year the government is hopeful of achieving the required number of applications till December 10.
The religious affairs ministry last month announced the country’s Hajj 2025 policy, allowing pilgrims for the first time to pay Hajj fees in installments.
Under the government scheme, the first installment of Hajj dues, Rs200,000 ($717), must be deposited along with the Hajj application, while a second installment of Rs400,000 ($1,435) has to be deposited within ten days of the balloting. The remaining amount has to be deposited by Feb. 10 next year.
According to the religious affairs ministry, overseas Pakistanis can also sponsor their loved ones for the pilgrimage. The ministry has also launched the “Pak Hajj 2025” mobile application to guide and facilitate pilgrims. The app is available for both Android and iPhone users.
The Pakistani government has also announced a reduction in airfares for Hajj 2025, with a Rs14,000 ($50) drop in ticket prices. Pilgrims enrolled in the federal program will now pay Rs220,000 for airfare, down from last year’s Rs234,000.
National carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Saudi Airlines and other private airlines have agreed to the relief package, according to the Pakistani government.

Topics: Hajj 2025 Pakistan Hajj mission Hajj applications

Over 40 Pakistanis feared dead in migrant boat disaster off African coast

Over 40 Pakistanis feared dead in migrant boat disaster off African coast
Updated 1 min 13 sec ago
AP
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Over 40 Pakistanis feared dead in migrant boat disaster off African coast

Over 40 Pakistanis feared dead in migrant boat disaster off African coast
  • Hundreds of Pakistanis die every year while trying to reach Europe by land and sea
  • In 2023, nearly 350 Pakistanis were on board a fishing boat that capsized near Greece
Updated 1 min 13 sec ago
AP

ISLAMABAD: More than 40 Pakistanis are feared to have drowned in the capsizing of a boat off West Africa’s Atlantic coastline, which has emerged as a primary point of departure for migrants aiming to reach Europe.
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed grief over the deaths and stressed the need for strict measures to curb human trafficking.
Zardari’s comments in a statement late Thursday came after a Spain-based migrant rights group, Walking Borders, said 50 people had died on their way to the Canary Islands and that 44 of them were Pakistanis. The group said the migrants began their journey on Jan. 2.
Pakistan said it had been informed by its embassy in Morocco that a boat carrying 80 passengers, including some Pakistanis, had set off from Mauritania and capsized near Dakhla, a Moroccan-controlled port city in the disputed Western Sahara.
Millions of people migrate to Europe each year, the vast majority using legal and regular means. Less than 240,000 people crossed borders into the continent without papers last year, according to the European Union’s border agency Frontex.
As authorities have worked to prevent migration and smuggling from countries in the Mediterranean Sea, more dangerous routes have become increasingly used. Frontex reported more than 50,000 migrants made the journey from northwest Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands in 2024, including 178 Pakistanis.
Walking Borders said in a report last week that 9,757 people had died or gone missing trying to cross to the islands, calling the route “the deadliest in the world.”
The islands are roughly 65 miles (105 kilometers) from the closest point in Africa, but to avoid security forces, many migrants attempt longer journeys that can take days or weeks. The majority last year departed from Mauritania, which is at least 473 miles (762 kilometers) from the closest Canary Island, El Hierro.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said several survivors, including Pakistanis, are staying in a camp near Dakhla. Pakistan’s Embassy in Morocco is in touch with local authorities and officials have gone to Dakhla to help survivors, according to a ministry statement.
The ministry did not say how many Pakistanis had died. Officials at the ministry were not immediately available for comment on Friday.
Hundreds of Pakistanis die every year while trying to reach Europe by land and sea with the help of human smugglers.
In 2023, an estimated 350 Pakistanis were on board an overcrowded fishing boat carrying migrants that sank off Greece. Many perished in what was one of the deadliest incidents in the Mediterranean Sea.
Pakistan says it has launched a crackdown on human traffickers.

Topics: PAkistani migrants shipwreck

New feeder service launched between Dubai and Karachi to strengthen trade ties

New feeder service launched between Dubai and Karachi to strengthen trade ties
Updated 18 min 45 sec ago
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New feeder service launched between Dubai and Karachi to strengthen trade ties

New feeder service launched between Dubai and Karachi to strengthen trade ties
  • UAE has been modernizing Pakistani ports, trying to turn the South Asian country into a transit trade hub
  • Pakistan aims to bolster economy, attract international trade opportunities by optimizing global sea lanes
Updated 18 min 45 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: DP World, in collaboration with Pakistan’s National Logistics Corporation (NLC), launched a feeder service this week to transport shipping containers from Dubai to Karachi, state media reported.
A global logistics giant operating in over 75 countries, DP World specializes in port operations, terminal management and logistics services. Feeder services use smaller vessels to transport containers between regional ports, reducing shipping costs and transit time.
“DP World and National Logistics Corporation (NLC) have started the feeder service for shipping containers from Dubai’s Jebel Ali port to Karachi,” Radio Pakistan reported on Thursday.
“The Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, inaugurated the feeder service,” it added.
The weekly service promises faster and more reliable container delivery, directly benefiting the business community and boosting economic activity in the region.
The initiative also aims to enhance trade connectivity and strengthen economic ties between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan.
The UAE, one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners, has played a key role in modernizing the South Asian country’s ports and establish them as transit trade hubs. By optimizing global sea lanes, Pakistan seeks to bolster its economy and attract greater international trade opportunities.
Top officials from DP World, NLC and Port Qasim attended the launch ceremony, highlighting the strategic importance of this initiative for regional trade dynamics.

Topics: National Logistics Corporation DP World

Pakistan recorded highest ever monthly IT exports of $348 million in Dec. 24 — data

Pakistan recorded highest ever monthly IT exports of $348 million in Dec. 24 — data
Updated 17 January 2025
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Pakistan recorded highest ever monthly IT exports of $348 million in Dec. 24 — data

Pakistan recorded highest ever monthly IT exports of $348 million in Dec. 24 — data
  • Exports were up 28% year-on-year in the first half of fiscal year 2025
  • Growth comes amid concerns over slow Internet speed, VPN restrictions
Updated 17 January 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has recorded the highest ever monthly IT exports of $348 million, up by 15 percent year-on-year and 12 percent month-on-month in Dec. 2024, while exports were up 28 percent year-on-year in the first half of fiscal year 2025, data from the Topline Securities brokerage house showed on Friday.

The growth figures come as associations and businesses have expressed alarm over slowing Internet speeds since last year, as the federal government moves to implement a nationwide firewall to block malicious content, protect government networks from attacks, and allow the government to identify IP addresses associated with what it calls “anti-state propaganda.” The government has also been cracking down on VPN use for months, with the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) announcing that businesses and freelancers would be able to legally use VPNs by registering with the government, but unregistered VPNs would be blocked in Pakistan after Nov. 30, 2024. The deadline was later withdrawn, and a new one has not been announced.

The use of VPNs has sharply risen in Pakistan since February last year when the government banned X soon after allegations of rigging in general elections surfaced. The election commission denies them.

In a report released on Friday, Topline said monthly IT exports in Dec. 2024 were higher than the last 12 month’s average of $299 million. This is the 15th consecutive month of YoY IT export growth, starting from Oct. 2023. This takes IT exports for the first half of fiscal year 2025 to $1.86 billion, up by 28 percent YoY. Export proceeds per day were recorded at $16.6 million for Dec. 24, compared to $14.8 million in Nov. 24. 

“YoY jump in IT exports is due to (1) IT export companies growing client base globally, especially in GCC region, (2) relaxation in the permissible retention limit by the State Bank of Pakistan, increasing it from 35 percent to 50 percent in the Exporters’ Specialized Foreign Currency Accounts, (3) allowance of equity investment abroad through these foreign currency accounts and (4) stability in PKR encouraging IT exporters to bring higher portion of profits back to Pakistan,” the Topline report said. 

“Pakistani IT companies are active in engaging with global clients. Recently leading IT companies of Pakistan attended Oslo Innovation Week 2024, and Pak-US Tech Investment Conference.”

According to a Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) survey, 62 percent of IT companies are maintaining specialized foreign currency accounts.

A major development in FY25 was the state bank adding a new category of Equity Investment Abroad (EIA), specifically for export-oriented IT companies. IT exporters can now acquire interest (shareholding) in entities abroad utilizing up to 50 percent proceeds from specialized foreign currency accounts. 

“This development will further boost confidence of IT exporters to remit proceeds back to Pakistan,” Topline said.

“We believe, IT sector will continue its growth trajectory and momentum with likely growth of 10-15 percent for FY25 to $3.5-3.7bn. Under ‘Uraan Pakistan’ national economic plan, the government has set a target of $10bn IT exports by FY29. This implies a target CAGR of 28 percent till FY29.”

Last August, the Pakistan Business Council (PBC) warned that frequent Internet disruptions and low speeds caused by poor implementation of the national firewall had led many multinational companies to consider relocating their offices out of Pakistan, with some having “already done so.” 

The Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), the country’s top representative body for the IT sector, warned last year Internet slowdowns and the restriction of VPN services could lead to financial losses and closures and increase operational costs for the industry by up to $150 million annually.

Topics: Pakistan IT exports

Pakistan starts trainings for pilgrims selected for Hajj 2025 under government scheme

Pakistan starts trainings for pilgrims selected for Hajj 2025 under government scheme
Updated 17 January 2025
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Pakistan starts trainings for pilgrims selected for Hajj 2025 under government scheme

Pakistan starts trainings for pilgrims selected for Hajj 2025 under government scheme
  • Trainings to be held at 147 locations across country, first session in Peshawar Saturday
  • First phase of mandatory Hajj trainings will be completed on Feb. 27, religious affairs ministry says
Updated 17 January 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The ministry of religious affairs has started mandatory training sessions for Pakistani nationals selected to perform this year’s Hajj pilgrimage under the government scheme, Radio Pakistan reported on Friday.

Earlier this month, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Hajj agreement 2025 under which 179,210 pilgrims from the South Asian country will perform the annual pilgrimage this year. The quota is divided equally between government and private schemes. 

“Hajj training will be provided at one hundred and forty seven locations across the country,” Radio Pakistan reported, quoting a statement from the religious affairs ministry. “The first session of the training workshop will be held in Peshawar tomorrow [Saturday].”

The attendance of Hajj pilgrims at the trainings will be ensured through a QR code in the Pak Hajj mobile app, the report said. Overseas Pakistanis will also receive training at their respective Hajji camps prior to embarking on the journey.

“The first phase of mandatory Hajj training will be completed on 27th of next month [February],” the report added.

Pakistan’s Hajj policy has allowed pilgrims to make payments in installments for the first time. Under this scheme, the first installment of Rs200,000 ($717) had to be submitted with the application, the second installment of Rs400,000 ($1,435) within 10 days of balloting and the remaining amount by Feb. 10 this year.

The Pakistani religious affairs ministry has also launched the Pak Hajj 2025 mobile application, available for both Android and iPhone users, to guide pilgrims.

Additionally, the government announced a reduction in airfare, lowering ticket prices for federal program pilgrims to Rs220,000 [$785.41], down from last year’s Rs234,000 [$835.39].

Pakistan International Airlines, Saudi Airlines, and private carriers have agreed to transport pilgrims this year.

Topics: Pakistan Hajj 2025

What are the cases against Pakistan’s former PM Imran Khan and his wife?

What are the cases against Pakistan’s former PM Imran Khan and his wife?
Updated 17 January 2025
Reuters
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What are the cases against Pakistan’s former PM Imran Khan and his wife?

What are the cases against Pakistan’s former PM Imran Khan and his wife?
  • Khan, who was ousted from office in 2022, has been behind bars for more than a year
  • On Friday, ex-PM was convicted of receiving land in bribe from a real estate developer
Updated 17 January 2025
Reuters

A Pakistani court on Friday sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan to 14 years imprisonment and his wife Bushra Bibi to seven years in a land corruption case, his legal team said.

The verdict in the case, the largest in terms of financial wrongdoing faced by Khan, was delivered by an anti-graft court in a prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where Khan has been jailed since August 2023.

Here are some of the allegations against the 72-year-old former cricket star, named in dozens of cases since he was ousted from office in 2022 that have kept him behind bars for more than a year.

GRAFT ALLEGATIONS

On Friday, Khan was convicted on charges that he and his wife were gifted land by a real estate developer during his premiership from 2018 to 2022 in exchange for illegal favors.

He was first arrested in May 2023 in this case, on allegations that the couple received land worth up to 7 billion rupees ($25.12 million) as a bribe through a trust created in 2018.

His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has maintained the land was donated for charitable purposes.

Bibi was taken into custody on Friday after being released on bail in October in another case.

STATE GIFTS

\Khan was arrested in August 2023 for allegedly selling gifts worth more than 140 million rupees that he received during his premiership and which belonged in state possession. Khan and Bibi were indicted on fresh charges in December after they were sentenced in two other versions of the case, although the sentences have been suspended. The couple has denied any wrongdoing.

ABETTING VIOLENCE

Khan faces anti-terrorism charges in connection with the violence that followed his arrest in May 2023, and in relation to which several of his supporters have already been sentenced.

He was indicted in December and is on trial.

STATE SECRETS

Khan was accused of making public a classified cable sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington in 2022, while he still held office. He was acquitted in the case in June.

UNLAWFUL MARRIAGE

Khan and his wife were accused of breaking Islamic law by failing to observe the mandated waiting period between Bibi’s divorce from her previous husband and their marriage in 2018. They were acquitted of the charges in July.

Topics: Imran Khan PTI Al Qadir Trust Bushra Bibi Pakistan

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