Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah and Saudi Deputy Interior Minister sign the document while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Ambassador in Islamabad Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki witness the ceremony - APP
‘Road to Makkah’ Accord Signed with Saudi Arabia
Islamabad: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday signed an agreement for the execution of the “Road to Makkah” project aimed at simplifying the immigration process for 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.
Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah and the Saudi Deputy Interior Minister signed the document while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Ambassador in Islamabad Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki witnessed the ceremony.
Under the agreement, the Hajj and Umrah pilgrims of Pakistan would be provided immigration facilities in Pakistan and they 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 it.
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.. - The Express Tribune
