ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has appreciated the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for including Pakistan in the “Road to Makkah” project which would facilitate Pakistanis intending to go for Hajj this year from the Islamabad International Airport.
The prime minister was talking to Saudi Deputy Minister for Interior Dr Nasir bin Abdul Aziz Al- Dawood who called on him here.
The Saudi minister informed the prime minister that the “Road to Makkah” project would be extended to Lahore and Peshawer next year to facilitate more Pakistani pilgrims in discharge of the important religious obligation.
PM Shehbaz thanked the Kingdom for its support to Pakistan during the last year’s heavy floods. He also thanked the KSA for helping in the evacuation of Pakistanis stranded in Sudan as the law and order situation worsened there.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday signed an agreement for the execution of “Road to Makkah” project aimed at simplifying the immigration process for the pilgrims intending to perform Hajj and Umrah.
The agreement was signed at the Prime Minister House during the visit of Deputy Interior Minister of Saudi Arabia Dr Nasir Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Dawood.
Under the agreement, the Hajj and Umrah pilgrims of Pakistan would be provided immigration facilities in Pakistan who would be exempted from the process at Saudi airports.
In the first phase, the service would be available at the Islamabad International Airport where around 26,000 pilgrims would benefit from the facility.
The Saudi authorities assured that the facility would later be extended to Karachi and Lahore airports as well.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia also signed the joint minutes of the meeting in which they discussed the issuance of Pakistani passports to the Burmese Muslims residing in Saudi Arabia.
According to the details, the passports of the Burmese Muslims were not renewed after 2012 which created some difficulties for them in the Kingdom.
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