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AI Umrah assistant to cut costs, enhance experience for Pakistan’s 2 million annual pilgrims

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Updated 15 July 2025
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AI Umrah assistant to cut costs, enhance experience for Pakistan’s 2 million annual pilgrims

AI Umrah assistant to cut costs, enhance experience for Pakistan’s 2 million annual pilgrims
  • Launched by Umrah Companions last week, “Ibraheem” offers personalized guidance in multiple languages, including Urdu
  • Pilgrims from Pakistan face confusing logistics, language barriers and high costs due to inefficient travel agency practices
Updated 15 July 2025
Fatimah Amjad
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ISLAMABAD: A Saudi-backed consortium has launched what it says is the world’s first artificial intelligence-powered Umrah advisor, “Ibraheem,” aimed at simplifying pilgrimage planning and reducing costs for millions of Muslims, including more than two million Pakistanis who travel to the Kingdom each year.

Ibraheem has been developed by Pakistani company Umrah Companions and is powered by Funadiq, a Saudi-based Destination Management Company specializing in Hajj and Umrah services.

The tool was launched last week and is designed to offer pilgrims personalized guidance in multiple languages, including Urdu and Roman Urdu, with the goal of cutting Umrah-related expenses by as much as 20 percent.

Pakistan is among the world’s largest pilgrimage markets, with over $5 billion spent annually by citizens traveling for Umrah and Hajj.

“Today, 93% of global Muslims cannot afford Hajj and Umrah. It is too expensive,” said Mohammad Salman Arain, CEO of Umrah Companions, in an interview with Arab News. “It is becoming expensive because we are not removing the inefficiencies in the processes — and that is what our mission is.”




Mohammad Salman Arain, CEO of Umrah Companions, speaks to Arab News during an interview in Islamabad on July 14, 2025, about his newly launched AI-powered Umrah advisor, “Ibraheem.” The tool is designed to simplify pilgrimage planning and reduce costs for millions of Muslims. (AN Photo)

Pakistanis often face language barriers, lack of personalized travel information, and high costs when arranging Umrah trips through human agents, many of whom offer fixed packages with little customization. Arain said the AI assistant overcomes these issues by adapting to each user’s needs, whether they are traveling with elderly parents, young children, or have budget constraints.

The platform currently supports ten languages, including Urdu, Roman Urdu, Arabic and English, and provides real-time recommendations on flights, hotels, food, weather, medical facilities and even services such as wheelchair availability near the Haram in Makkah.




"Ibraheem," the newly launched AI-powered Umrah advisor, responds to a command from Arab News during an interactive session in Islamabad. (AN Photo)

“You can start with a very simple question: ‘I want to travel in August. Give me an estimated budget for four people,’” Arain said. “Ibraheem will then suggest premium or budget options, tell you whether hotels are suitable for elderly companions, and help build your itinerary.”

The tool’s language offerings and its flexibility for use on smartphones and low-bandwidth environments make it particularly suitable for Pakistani blue- and white-collar workers living in the Gulf, a group that often lacks access to transparent and user-friendly tech tools for pilgrimage planning.




Mohammad Salman Arain, CEO of Umrah Companions, briefs Arab News on his newly launched AI-powered Umrah advisor, “Ibraheem,” during an interview in Islamabad on July 14, 2025. The tool aims to simplify pilgrimage planning and reduce costs for millions of Muslims. (AN Photo)

“We are building to make everybody's life easier. It is not for us only,” Arain added. “This is available for everyone and every single Muslim in the world.”

Umrah Companions is also working on outreach to Pakistani freelancers and overseas workers through diplomatic missions, Pakistani banks, and diaspora associations, especially in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, where a majority of Pakistani pilgrims are based.

While the service is focused on Umrah for now, Arain said it was already learning and being trained for Hajj season.

Once a pilgrim arrives in the Kingdom, the AI agent continues to provide support, from locating wheelchairs at Haram gates to suggesting restaurants and responding to emergencies, the chief executive explained.

The tool has already contributed to a 25% increase in website traffic, according to Arain, and is currently being built as an open platform available for use by all Muslims, regardless of which company they book their pilgrimage through.




The handout photograph released on July 14, 2025, shows Salman Arain (left), CEO of Funadiq.com, Sattam Hamdan M. Algethami (center), CEO of Maather Hospitality Group, and Anas Ammar, CEO of Emaar Al Diyafa Group, posing for a group photo. (Photo Courtesy: Salman Arain)

The launch of the AI platform also aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goal to improve the pilgrimage experience through digital transformation and accessibility.

Arain said the initiative complements the Kingdom’s efforts to modernize religious tourism and ensure cost-effective pilgrimage options for lower-income Muslims.

“We believe this is going to revolutionize [pilgrimage],” Arain said, “and it is very much in line with what the Saudi Vision 2030 is doing to enhance the pilgrimage experience.”

Topics: Hajj 2026 AI Umrah Agent AI Umrah

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Germany urges Pakistan to allow back over 200 expelled Afghans

Germany urges Pakistan to allow back over 200 expelled Afghans
Updated 7 sec ago
AFP
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Germany urges Pakistan to allow back over 200 expelled Afghans

Germany urges Pakistan to allow back over 200 expelled Afghans
  • The deportees were previously offered refuge in Germany but now caught between tougher German immigration policy and Pakistani expulsions
  • Last week, two German rights groups launched legal proceedings, accusing two ministers of ‘abandonment and failure to render assistance’
Updated 7 sec ago
AFP

BERLIN: Berlin said Monday that more than 200 Afghans waiting to be offered sanctuary in Germany had been deported by Pakistan to their Taliban-run home country in recent days.

The German government was urging Islamabad to allow them back, said foreign ministry spokesman Josef Hinterseher, as an aid group voiced alarm for their fate and those of others.

The deportees are part of a group previously offered refuge in Germany but now caught between Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s tougher immigration policy and a wave of expulsions from Pakistan.

Pakistani police had recently arrested “around 450” Afghans who were previously accepted under the German scheme for people at risk from the Taliban, Hinterseher told reporters.

Of those, “211 people, according to our current information, have been deported to Afghanistan,” he said.

Another “245 people were allowed to leave camps” in Pakistan where they had been gathered prior to their scheduled deportation, he said.

“We are continuing to talk to Pakistan to facilitate the return of those who have already been deported.”

Last week two German rights groups launched legal proceedings against two German ministers, accusing them of “abandonment and failure to render assistance” to those hoping for German visas under the scheme.

Germany set up the program under former chancellor Olaf Scholz in the wake of the Taliban’s 2021 takeover, to help Afghans who had worked with German institutions and their families.

It also included people deemed particularly threatened by the Taliban, including journalists and human rights activists.

However, the program has been put on hold as part of a stricter immigration policy brought in under Merz, who took office in May, leaving some 2,000 Afghans stranded in Pakistan waiting for German visas.

Pakistan first launched a deportation drive in 2023 and renewed it in April when it rescinded hundreds of thousands of residence permits for Afghans, threatening to arrest those who did not leave.

Eva Beyer from the Airbridge Kabul initiative set up to help those affected told AFP that the deportees now faced a “critical situation.”

She said that “around 350 people,” including those freed from the camps over the weekend, were still at risk of deportation.

“Visa procedures have been frozen since May, nothing’s been happening since then,” she said.

The German government says the program is still under review despite a court ruling last month which found that it had a “legally binding commitment” to give visas to those who had been accepted.

A German interior ministry spokesman said Monday that an individual review, potentially followed by security screening, was underway for each person in the admission program.

Topics: Afghan refugee in Pakistan Afghan refugees

Islamabad says Iran to prioritize Pakistani rice, mango and meat exports under ‘landmark’ understanding

Islamabad says Iran to prioritize Pakistani rice, mango and meat exports under ‘landmark’ understanding
Updated 5 min 17 sec ago
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Islamabad says Iran to prioritize Pakistani rice, mango and meat exports under ‘landmark’ understanding

Islamabad says Iran to prioritize Pakistani rice, mango and meat exports under ‘landmark’ understanding
  • The development comes more than a week after Pakistan and Iran signed agreements aimed at raising bilateral trade to $10 billion
  • The two countries have attempted to forge closer economic and investment ties through border markets and trade links in recent years
Updated 5 min 17 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Iran will prioritize Pakistan’s rice, meat, mango and other exports as part of a “landmark” trade understanding reached between the two countries in Tehran, the Pakistani government said on Monday.

The statement came after a high-level ministerial meeting between both sides on food security and agricultural cooperation. National Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain led the Pakistani side. The meeting was co-chaired by his Iranian counterpart, Mr. Gholamreza Nourozi, and attended by senior representatives of key ministries, research institutions, and trade authorities from both countries.

Both sides reached an agreement for Iran to source a major portion of its rice imports from Pakistan for both government and private sector procurement, while the Iranian side assured of addressing longstanding challenges faced by Pakistani fruit exporters, particularly delays in issuance of import permits and foreign exchange allocations in Iran, according to Pakistan’s Press Information Department (PID).

“With these measures in place, exports of Pakistani mangoes to Iran are set to rise substantially,” the PID said, adding that the discussion also focused on Pakistan’s livestock and meat sector. “Iran agreed to focus on Pakistan as a principal supplier and to ensure that around 60 percent of its meat procurements are sourced from Pakistan.”

Similarly, Iran agreed to import large volumes of maize from Pakistan, with a commitment to resolve technical and procedural issues on priority and within the shortest possible time, according to the PID.

Recognizing the need for science-driven solutions in agriculture, both sides agreed to enhance cooperation between the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and Iranian research institutions.

“This collaboration will cover key areas of mutual advantage, including crop research, livestock breeding, water management, and innovation for farmers’ benefit,” the PID said.

Both sides reached a consensus on a wide range of facilitation measures aimed at easing agricultural trade, including faster customs clearance, establishment of warehouses and cold chain systems, and improvements in border

infrastructure to ensure perishable commodities reach markets efficiently and in prime quality.

“To ensure that these historic decisions are implemented effectively, a Joint Committee on Agricultural Cooperation was formally established,” the PID said. “The Committee will meet every six months to review progress, resolve emerging issues, and maintain the momentum of cooperation.”

The development comes more than a week after Pakistan and Iran signed agreements in the fields of politics, economy, culture and other vital sectors during Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian’s visit to Pakistan, aimed at raising their bilateral trade to $10 billion.

Pakistan and Iran, which have remained at odds over instability along their porous border, have attempted to forge closer economic and investment ties through border markets and trade links in recent years.

“My deep belief is that we can easily, in a short time, increase the volume of our trade relations from the current $3 billion to the projected goal of $10 billion,” Pezeshkian told reporters during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and high-level delegations from both countries in attendance.

Both countries also discussed militancy along their shared border and exchanged 12 agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for cooperation in science, technology and innovation, cooperation in information and communications technology, exchange programs for culture, art, tourism, youth, mass media and exports, cooperation in meteorology, climatology, tourism cooperation and other fields.

Topics: Pakistan Iran Ties

Indian foreign minister stresses on border peace in talks with China’s Wang

Indian foreign minister stresses on border peace in talks with China’s Wang
Updated 18 August 2025
Reuters
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Indian foreign minister stresses on border peace in talks with China’s Wang

Indian foreign minister stresses on border peace in talks with China’s Wang
  • Relations between the Asian giants began to thaw in Oct. after New Delhi, Beijing reached a pact to lower military tensions on border
  • Ties between the two countries deteriorated sharply following a military clash on their disputed Himalayan border in the summer of 2020
Updated 18 August 2025
Reuters

NEW DELHI: Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar began talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in New Delhi on Monday and stressed that there could be positive momentum in ties between the neighbors only if there was peace on their border.

Wang arrived in the Indian capital on Monday for a two-day visit during which he will hold the 24th round of border talks with Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“This (discussing border issues) is very important because the basis for any positive momentum in our ties is the ability to jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas,” Jaishankar told Wang in his opening remarks.

It is also important for the two countries to pull back their troops amassed along their disputed border in the western Himalayas since a deadly border clash in 2020, Jaishankar said.

Wang’s visit comes days before Modi travels to China — his first visit in seven years — to attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional political and security group which also includes Russia.

Relations between the Asian giants began to thaw in October after New Delhi and Beijing reached a milestone pact to lower military tensions on their Himalayan border following talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Modi in Russia.

Ties between the two countries had deteriorated sharply following a military clash on their disputed Himalayan border in the summer of 2020 in which 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers were killed.

Topics: Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar

Pakistan to launch real-time digital tracking of petroleum products to end smuggling, theft

Pakistan to launch real-time digital tracking of petroleum products to end smuggling, theft
Updated 18 August 2025
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Pakistan to launch real-time digital tracking of petroleum products to end smuggling, theft

Pakistan to launch real-time digital tracking of petroleum products to end smuggling, theft
  • A 2024 report says around 10 million liters of Iranian fuel was being smuggled into Pakistan daily, causing $805 million annual losses
  • A new legislation proposes punishments for illegal supply, storage and sale of petroleum products and aims to strengthen enforcement
Updated 18 August 2025
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will launch this month a real-time digital tracking system to monitor the complete cycle of all petroleum products from their import to sale at fuel stations to curb smuggling and black marketing of fuel, an official said on Monday.

An April 2024 Petroleum Division intelligence report revealed that around 10 million liters of Iranian fuel was being smuggled into Pakistan daily, causing losses of over Rs227 billion ($805 million) annually. On Aug. 13, Pakistan’s National Assembly passed the Petroleum (Amendment) Act 2025, which would amend the decades-old Petroleum Act 1934, giving regulators the authority to introduce IT-based systems for real-time monitoring of petroleum products.

The draft legislation proposes punishments for illegal supply, storage and sale of petroleum products, and aims to strengthen coordination among enforcement agencies by introducing IT-enabled digital tracking of petroleum products by covering storage, transportation and dispensing at fuel stations, storage facilities and along supply routes, with authorities empowered to act jointly or independently.

After its passage by the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, and the Senate standing committee for petroleum, the draft legislation now awaits a nod from the upper house for it to become a law and pave the way for the implementation of the new tracking system.

“The [draft] law has already been passed by the National Assembly and today [Monday], it was approved by the Senate Standing Committee. Now it will be laid before the Senate within next few days for its final passage to become a law,” Imran Ghaznavi, an Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) spokesperson, told Arab News.

“Once the law is enacted, the real-time digital monitoring system of petroleum products will begin within this month as most of the system is ready,” he said, adding that OGRA had already completed tagging of fuel tankers and stations.

Until now, the end-to-end petroleum delivery was regulated but not digitally monitored, with the manual collection of data causing huge losses, according to Ghaznavi.

OGRA, in collaboration with industry stakeholders, has spent several months on the technical framework to ensure a smooth launch of the digital tracking system.

“The tankers have trackers, but real-time monitoring is not done [at present],” he said. “OGRA has installed digital mapping at almost all petroleum stations which are more than 10,000 across Pakistan.”

In the second phase, he shared, OGRA has decided to digitize the movement of all petroleum products, from port to depot, refinery to depot, depot to depot, and depot to fuel stations, so that it can be monitored in real time.

“The benefit of this step is that smuggled products can be detected by calculating discrepancies,” he said, explaining that if a fuel station purchased a certain amount of product but sold more than that, or if a fuel station had dormant petroleum stock yet continued selling beyond its recorded supply, then such irregularities would be identified through the new system.

The new law also proposes punishments such as confiscation of equipment and vehicles, and penalties for smugglers that would create a deterrent and discourage illegal sales of petroleum products, according to the OGRA spokesman.

“Illegal imports, transports, stores, sales produce, refines or blends of any petroleum [product] shall be punishable by a fine of 1 million rupees ($3,525),” says the draft legislation seen by Arab News, adding that whoever repeats the offense shall be liable to pay a fine of 5 million rupees ($17,627).

The law says any facility used for storage and selling of petroleum products to general public, without a license from relevant authority, shall be liable to sealing.

“All machinery, equipment, materials, storage tanks, receptacles and petroleum products being employed or sold therein shall be liable to confiscation by the Deputy Commissioner or any officer authorized by him and the owner thereof shall pay fine of ten million rupees ($35,255),” it read.

OGRA has signed a contract with the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) to develop a complete digital system to monitor the entire supply chain by tracking lorries and trucks from port to retail fuel stations, according to Ghaznavi.

All refineries and 95 percent Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) already have Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in place, which would be integrated into the new digital tracking system immediately.

“The remaining five percent will also be added soon. That means that nearly 95 to 98 percent of petroleum products will be tracked,” he added.

Topics: Pakistan Petroleum products

Fresh Pakistan monsoon rains kill 20, halt rescue efforts

Fresh Pakistan monsoon rains kill 20, halt rescue efforts
Updated 47 min 43 sec ago
AFP
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Fresh Pakistan monsoon rains kill 20, halt rescue efforts

Fresh Pakistan monsoon rains kill 20, halt rescue efforts
  • Official says cloudburst in Swabi completely destroyed several houses, killing more than 20 people
  • Nearly 340 killed since last week in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in latest spell of monsoon rains 
Updated 47 min 43 sec ago
AFP

BUNER, Pakistan: Fresh torrential rains in northern Pakistan killed at least 20 people on Monday, local officials said, as the region is ravaged by an unusually intense monsoon season that has left more than 300 people dead in recent days.

Torrential rains across the country’s north have caused flooding and landslides that have swept away entire villages, leaving many residents trapped in the rubble and around 200 still missing.

“A cloudburst in Swabi completely destroyed several houses, killing more than 20 people,” an official in the district, located in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, told AFP on Monday.

Several villages were wiped out by the huge amount of rain falling in a short period of time, a second local official said, confirming the death toll.

Since the first heavy rains on Thursday most of the deaths — more than 340 — were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the provincial disaster agency, which warned of new flash floods over the next few days.

The latest heavy rains halted the ongoing search efforts for the missing, with volunteers and rescue workers racing to find possible survivors and retrieve bodies.

“This morning fresh rains forced a halt to relief operations,” said Nisar Ahmad, 31, a volunteer in worst-hit Buner district, adding that 12 villages had been destroyed and 219 bodies recovered.

“Dozens of bodies are still buried under the mud and rocks, which can only be recovered with heavy machinery. However the makeshift tracks built to access the area have once again been destroyed by the new rains. 

Topics: rains

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