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Over 54,000 applications received as Pakistan government Hajj scheme concludes today

Over 54,000 applications received as Pakistan government Hajj scheme concludes today
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 21 min 29 sec ago
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Over 54,000 applications received as Pakistan government Hajj scheme concludes today

Over 54,000 applications received as Pakistan government Hajj scheme concludes today
  • Deadline to file Hajj applications is Dec. 3, draw under government scheme will be held on Dec. 6
  • Saudi Arabia has allotted Pakistan a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for upcoming Hajj pilgrimage
Updated 21 min 29 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan
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ISLAMABAD: More than 54,000 applications have been received from across Pakistan under the Hajj scheme run by the federal government, the religious affairs ministry said, as the process to apply ends today, Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia has allotted Pakistan a total quota of 179,210 pilgrims for the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage, to be divided equally between the government and private schemes. Around 15 designated Pakistani banks started receiving applications for Hajj 2025 from intending pilgrims on Nov. 18. The deadline to file Hajj applications is Dec. 3 while the draw for the government scheme will be held on Dec. 6.
“Tomorrow [Tuesday] is the last day for receiving Hajj applications in the government scheme,” a spokesman for the religious affairs ministry said in a statement. “More than 54,000 applications have been received from across the country so far.”
The religious affairs ministry announced the country’s Hajj 2025 policy last month, under which pilgrims can pay fees for the annual pilgrimage in installments for the first time.
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.
Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry has launched the “Pak Hajj 2025” mobile application to guide and facilitate pilgrims. The app is available for both Android and iPhone users.
The Pakistan government has also announced a significant reduction in airfares for Hajj 2025, with a Rs14,000 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 Pakistan government.

Topics: Hajj 2025

Pakistani PM says prioritizing participation in leadership roles for people with disabilities

Pakistani PM says prioritizing participation in leadership roles for people with disabilities
Updated 38 sec ago
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Pakistani PM says prioritizing participation in leadership roles for people with disabilities

Pakistani PM says prioritizing participation in leadership roles for people with disabilities
  • 2024 theme for International Day Of Persons With Disabilities is ‘Amplifying leadership of persons with disabilities’
  • As many as 27 million people in Pakistan may be living with disabilities, both intellectual and physical, HRW says
Updated 38 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is prioritizing the participation in leadership roles of people with disabilities, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said as he joined the international community in commemorating the International Day Of Persons With Disabilities today, Tuesday.
The 2024 theme for the annual day is ‘Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future,’ connoting the basic requirements of participation, representation and inclusion and calls for persons with disabilities to actively shape the conditions of their lives.
People with disabilities can play important roles in leadership, and their unique perspectives can lead to better services for people with disabilities, rights bodies say. They can also help ensure that organizations are accountable for actions that affect people with disabilities.
“This year’s theme, ‘Amplifying the Leadership of Persons with Disabilities for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future,’ highlights a vital truth: the journey toward a more inclusive world must be led by those who understand its challenges firsthand,” Sharif said in a statement. 
“We are prioritizing their participation in leadership roles, ensuring that their perspectives guide our national development strategies, and building a society that values their contributions as leaders, innovators, and changemakers.”
An estimated 1.3 billion people – about 16 percent of the global population – currently experience significant disability. As many as 27 million people in Pakistan may be living with disabilities, both intellectual and physical, according to Human Rights Watch.
Sharif said initiatives such as enhancing access to assistive technologies, improving inclusive infrastructure, and ensuring the implementation of disability-friendly laws were central to Pakistan’s vision.
“We are taking meaningful steps to ensure that persons with disabilities are provided with equal opportunities in education, employment, health care, and public life. Our government is working diligently to implement comprehensive policies that address accessibility, empower individuals with disabilities, and break down societal barriers that hinder their full participation.”
Sharif also highlighted the need to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of caregivers, advocates, and organizations working to support persons with disabilities.
“I urge our institutions, businesses, and civil society to play their role in breaking down barriers and fostering environments where persons with disabilities can contribute as leaders,” the PM added. 
“We must also make conscious efforts to challenge behaviors and attitudes that perpetuate stigma and discrimination, replacing them with understanding and respect.”

Topics: International Day Of Persons With Disabilities 2024 International Day Of Persons With Disabilities

28 cases of chikungunya virus reported in northwest Pakistan in 2024 — officials

28 cases of chikungunya virus reported in northwest Pakistan in 2024 — officials
Updated 16 min 27 sec ago
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28 cases of chikungunya virus reported in northwest Pakistan in 2024 — officials

28 cases of chikungunya virus reported in northwest Pakistan in 2024 — officials
  • Chikungunya virus spreads to people through bite of an infected mosquito
  • Fourteen cases of chikungunya reported in Peshawar in the last one week
Updated 16 min 27 sec ago
WASIM SAJJAD

PESHAWAR: Fourteen cases of the chikungunya virus have been reported in the northwestern Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the last one week, health officials said, bringing the total tally of cases to 28 for the year 2024. 
Chikungunya virus spreads to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. The most common symptoms of infection are fever and joint pain. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling or a rash. 
The health department in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, of which Peshawar is the capital, ordered preventive measures in September this year after more than a dozen cases of chikungunya were reported in Mansehra district.
“In the past one week, we have received at least 14 cases of chikungunya in the Shamshato Camp of the Ormur neighborhood in Peshawar,” the spokesperson for the Public Health Department, Atta Ullah, told Arab News on Monday. “Total 28 cases of chikungunya have been reported in 2024.”
Habib Ullah Safi, whose 11-year-old daughter had the virus, said she experienced “pains and high temperature.”
“When the tests were conducted, we came to know that she had this disease,” he told Arab News, saying the symptoms continued for at least 5 days but his daughter was feeling well now.
“Chikungunya isn’t a new disease for us, it was a notifiable disease and once we got the reports we timely approached and responded,” Dr. Arsalan Manzoor, a surveillance officer for the chikungunya virus in Peshawar, told Arab News.
“On the instruction of the health department, we immediately went to Shamshato Camp of Ormur and collected the samples and more cases were reported.”
He said a “large number of larvae” had been identified in the locality and awareness sessions were thus conducted “to sensitise locals about prevention.”
“After several visits to the locality, we also held a free medical camp last week,” Manzoor added.
KP province reported 4,034 dengue cases this year with three death, while 747 dengue cases were reported in 2023 and no deaths.
Manzoor explained that chikungunya symptoms were similar to dengue but milder.
“Chikungunya patient recovers a bit better than dengue,” he said. “It takes 4 to 7 days to recover from chikungunya while dengue recovery can take up to two weeks even.”

Topics: chikungunya

‘Beyond imagination,’ Pakistani PM says as November inflation slows to 4.9% year-on-year

‘Beyond imagination,’ Pakistani PM says as November inflation slows to 4.9% year-on-year
Updated 02 December 2024
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‘Beyond imagination,’ Pakistani PM says as November inflation slows to 4.9% year-on-year

‘Beyond imagination,’ Pakistani PM says as November inflation slows to 4.9% year-on-year
  • Sharif says inflation rate lower than government’s forecast, lowest in nearly six years
  • Last year Pakistan struggled through inflation as high as 38%,historic depreciation in currency
Updated 02 December 2024
Falak Mahmood Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said it was “beyond imagination” that Pakistan’s annual consumer inflation had slowed to 4.9% in November, lower than the government’s forecast and the lowest in nearly six years.

The finance ministry had projected inflation would slow to 5.8%-6.8% in November and ease to 5.6%-6.5% in December, it said in its monthly economic report published last week. The South Asian country slashed interest rates by 250 basis points earlier in November to help revive a sluggish economy amid a big drop in the rate of inflation.

Consumer inflation cooled from 7.2% in October, a sharp drop from a multi-decade high of nearly 40% in May 2023. Consumer prices in November rose +0.5% from October, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

“After 70 months, the inflation rate in Pakistan in November is at its lowest level. In 2018, it was 3.5% during the era of [Prime Minister] Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, this month, it has reached 4.9%,” Sharif told his cabinet in televised comments.

“This is a great grace of God. It is beyond imagination. Because inflation is the only tool that increases poverty or brings relief. This is a record after 70 months, this decrease will reduce the burden on the poor.”

Pakistan's annual consumer price inflation rate slowed to 9.6% in August, the first single-digit reading in almost three years.

A last-minute IMF rescue package last summer had helped Pakistan avert a sovereign default but, to secure it, the country had to revise its budget, and raise interest rates, taxes, and electricity and gas prices.

As a result, during the period, Pakistan struggled through inflation as high as 38%, historic depreciation in its currency, and contraction of the economy.

A new 37-month $7 billion loan bailout was approved for Pakistan by the IMF in September.

Pakistani squash legend Jansher Khan inducted into PSA Hall of Fame

Pakistani squash legend Jansher Khan inducted into PSA Hall of Fame
Updated 02 December 2024
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Pakistani squash legend Jansher Khan inducted into PSA Hall of Fame

Pakistani squash legend Jansher Khan inducted into PSA Hall of Fame
  • World No.1 for 97 months through his career, Khan’s final professional title count of 99 is the greatest of any player since records began
  • Khan won the World Championships eight times, a record in the men’s game, and added six British Open titles to a glittering trophy haul
Updated 02 December 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Malaysian retired squash player Nicol David and Pakistani great Jansher Khan have been honored this week as the newest members of the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Hall of Fame at a ceremony held in Hong Kong, the body said on X. 
David and Khan became the third and fourth members of the PSA Hall of Fame, which was launched earlier this year to recognize the achievements of the game’s most influential characters, past and present. David and Khan have joined inaugural inductees Susan Devoy from New Zealand, and Jahangir Khan, another Pakistani legend, in the PSA Hall of Fame as the association continues to celebrate its greatest icons.
“Congratulations to Nicol David and Jansher Khan,” PSA said in a social media post showing a picture of the two receiving the honor on the eve of the Hong Kong Squash Open.


A key part of the Pakistani dominance of the sport throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Jansher Khan won the World Championships eight times – a record in the men’s game – and also added six British Open titles to a glittering trophy haul.
A World No.1 for 97 months throughout his career, Khan’s final professional title count of 99 is the greatest of any player since records began.
“I feel very happy … I’m very happy to come to Hong Kong, see my old friends. It’s an honor to get this award,” Khan said in a statement released by PSA. 
David is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of squash, with her career including an unprecedented eight World Championship titles and an unmatched 108-month reign as the World No.1. She also took home five British Open titles and won two Commonwealth Games gold medals. 
Since retiring, David has founded the Nicol David Organization, one of the Squash for Development programs that the PSA Foundation supports. The 41-year-old was announced as a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy – a recognized group of 69 sporting legends – in 2021.
“After doing so much in my squash career, you sometimes don’t realize how much you’ve done until the moment when you are given this opportunity to be recognized in a hall of fame,” David said in a PSA statement. “That’s when you you go ‘This is it!’ And I I feel amazing, it’s such an honor and I would like to thank PSA for honoring me.”
PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough said: “Nicol and Jansher are two of the most iconic figures in the history of squash and have both left a lasting legacy in the sport.
“Nicol inspired so many squash players – in Malaysia and across the globe – and her record of nine unbroken years at the summit of the world rankings will surely never be bettered. She is a fantastic ambassador for the sport and it was fantastic to see her honored with the title of Deputy Chef de Mission at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this summer.
“Like Nicol, Jansher’s name will forever be linked to squash and the records he has amassed across the men’s game are nothing short of incredible. We are pleased to have had the opportunity to celebrate both players.”

Pakistan moves to enhance trade with Uzbekistan amid investment push in Central Asia

Pakistan moves to enhance trade with Uzbekistan amid investment push in Central Asia
Updated 02 December 2024
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Pakistan moves to enhance trade with Uzbekistan amid investment push in Central Asia

Pakistan moves to enhance trade with Uzbekistan amid investment push in Central Asia
  • Pakistan wants to consolidate its role as a pivotal trade and transit hub for landlocked Central Asian states 
  • In recent weeks, there has been flurry of visits, investment talks, economic activity between Pakistan and CARs
Updated 02 December 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Pakistan, Alisher Tukhtayev, and Pakistani Federal Minister for Commerce, Jam Kamal Khan, on Monday discussed avenues to enhance business opportunities and trade relations as Islamabad seeks to enhance investment ties with the Central Asian Republics (CARs).
Pakistan is pushing to consolidate its role as a pivotal trade and transit hub connecting the landlocked Central Asian states with the rest of the world, leveraging its strategic geographical position. In recent weeks, there has been a flurry of visits, investment talks and economic activity between officials from Pakistan and the Central Asian nations.
Pakistan and Uzbekistan signed a $1 billion deal to increase bilateral trade in February 2023 at the eighth meeting of the Inter-governmental Commission on Trade-Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation in Tashkent. The agreement was aimed at encouraging the exchange of goods and services. The outgoing Uzbek Ambassador to Islamabad, Oybek Usmanov, said in September this year the countries were aiming to announce a $1 billion trade and industrial cooperation roadmap in the near future.
“Both sides agreed to work closely to unlock the full potential of their relationship,” a statement from the Pakistani commerce ministry said after Khan’s meeting with Tukhtayev, who was appointed in October. 
During the discussion, Khan expressed his admiration for Uzbekistan’s infrastructure and rapid development. 
“The progress in Uzbekistan is remarkable, and I was particularly impressed by its railway system,” the minister said, underscoring the importance of learning from Uzbekistan’s advancements.
Khan also highlighted newly launched flights between Pakistan and Uzbekistan, noting that their high occupancy rates were a “sign of significant potential for collaboration.”
“He identified religious tourism and other sectors as areas ripe for growth and called for further efforts to facilitate travel. Stressing the need for a streamlined visa process, he advocated measures to ensure genuine visitors while maintaining rigorous scrutiny,” the commerce ministry said. 
Khan proposed partnerships with local airlines to boost trade and travel connectivity and suggested organizing business-to-business (B2B) interactions during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s upcoming visit to Uzbekistan, the dates of which have not yet been confirmed. 
“The idea of holding a business forum during the visit also featured prominently in their discussions,” the commerce ministry added. 
“Ambassador Tukhtayev agreed on the untapped potential of bilateral trade, emphasizing sectors like agriculture, food, pharmaceuticals, and tourism. He reassured the minister of the Uzbek Embassy’s round-the-clock availability to facilitate coordination and promote business ties,” the statement added.
Pakistan and Uzbekistan established diplomatic relations in May 1992. 
Uzbekistan is the largest consumer market and second biggest economy in Central Asia. It was the first Central Asian country with which Pakistan signed a bilateral Transit Trade Agreement (UPTTA) and bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) on 17 items. 
Bilateral trade with Pakistan (Jan-Dec 2021) amounted to $126.05 million, with $88.18 million exports to Pakistan and $ 37.87 million imports from Pakistan, according to the website of the Pakistani foreign office, which did not provide updated figures.

Topics: Pakistan Uzbekistan Ties

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