Tag: Jeddah

  • PIA Hajj flight makes emergency landing in Riyadh after technical fault

    PIA Hajj flight makes emergency landing in Riyadh after technical fault

    A Jeddah-bound Hajj flight of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) made an emergency landing at Riyadh Airport after high temperature warning.

    The Hajj flight had departed from Karachi for Jeddah at 10 pm on Friday night.

    Geo News reports that a passenger on PK 839 said that an explosion was heard in the plane during the journey, after which the plane was diverted from Jeddah and landed at Riyadh airport.

    Following an aircraft check, high temperature warning mechanism was found to be faulty, and the flight was then flown to its original destination.

  • Hollywood star Will Smith is reading the Holy Quran

    Hollywood star Will Smith is reading the Holy Quran

    Hollywood superstar and Oscar winner has talked about finding comfort in spirituality and reading the Quran during tough times in the last two years. In a recent interview, the 55-year-old A-lidter shared that he’s fond of spiritual practices and faced challenges that made him reflect on his inner self.

    During this tough period, Smith explored various holy books, including the Quran.
    He said, “I read the Quran from cover to cover during the month of Ramazan this year.” Smith expressed admiration for the Quran’s simplicity and clarity, finding it easy to understand without confusion.
    He was particularly moved by the stories of Prophet Musa mentioned in the Quran. Smith highlighted the common thread running through different holy books, from the Torah to the Bible to the Quran, emphasizing their connection.
    Asked about how he raises his children, the American actor said, “My youngest son is now 23-years-old, and yet I am still working on raising them.

    “I thought that raising children would end at the age of 21, but it has just begun. All of my children are in their twenties, except for the eldest, who is 31.
    Their relationships have become more serious, and therefore they always need advice and help more than ever before.”
    Smith emphasized the importance of the concept that “every soul is responsible for itself” in the Quran, which he believes helps in raising his children and understanding them, as they will ultimately be responsible for themselves.
    Furthermore, Smith added that reading the Holy Book relieved him of his worries.

    Smith also expressed his love for Saudi Arabia. “I went on a tour of the NEOM project, saw the city of Jeddah, and made two trips to Riyadh and this was my third visit to Saudi Arabia. I enjoy my life here and feel like I belong here.”

  • Schedule for Nawaz Sharif’s visit to Saudi Arabia revealed

    Schedule for Nawaz Sharif’s visit to Saudi Arabia revealed

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo, Nawaz Sharif’s schedule for visiting Saudi Arabia has been revealed.

    According to news reports, Nawaz Sharif will spend the last Ashara of Ramzan in Saudi Arabia. The former prime minister will reach Jeddah along with his family on April 11.

    Nawaz will be in Jeddah and Makkah for three days, and then on April 15, he will go to Madina.

    Read more: Nawaz to visit Saudi as royal guest

    It is being reported that Maryam Nawaz, daughter of Nawaz Sharif, along with other Muslim League leaders, will reach Jeddah from Lahore.

    Nawaz will be visiting the Kingdom on the invitation of the Saudi ruler.

  • Ferrari drives into trouble with controversial post featuring Masjid-e-Nabvi

    Ferrari drives into trouble with controversial post featuring Masjid-e-Nabvi

    Ferrari, a prominent supercar manufacturer, faced significant criticism after a social media post promoting its event in Jeddah was received poorly.

    The post included an edited image of a Ferrari model pictured in front of the Masjid-e-Nabwi, a sacred site in Islam, instead of the intended location, Jeddah.

    This post was met with widespread disapproval on various social media platforms, with many individuals accusing the company of insensitivity and disrespect towards the Muslim community.

    Some users even called for a boycott of Ferrari products. It remains unclear whether Ferrari was aware of the importance of the location to the Muslim community or if this was an inadvertent mistake.

    While some social media users made light of the situation by praising the beauty of the site, the majority of the comments were critical.

    Responding to the massive backlash from the Muslim community, Ferrari promptly removed the post from its Twitter and Instagram accounts, as well as deleted the image from its website to prevent further complications.

  • PIA will now charge private Hajj pilgrims in dollars

    PIA will now charge private Hajj pilgrims in dollars

    For the first time in its history, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) would charge Hajj pilgrims flying on a private programme in US dollars.

    Airfares for pilgrims from the Southern and Northern regions are expected to stay in the $810 to $1,100 and $860 to $1,150 ranges, respectively.

    As tickets are also purchased abroad, the airline stated that fares in dollars would minimise the disparity. The PIA, on the other hand, would charge a fixed fee of Rs181,000 for return tickets for pilgrims travelling under the government scheme.

    During the Hajj season, the airline expects to transport roughly 14,000 government-sponsored pilgrims and around 16,000 private pilgrims. Pakistan has an 81,000 pilgrim quota, with the government typically taking 60 per cent of the quota and allocating the rest to private operators.

    According to sources, the government has received few applications this year and would only accept 37,000 pilgrims through the official plan, with the remainder of the quota going to private operators.

    Flights from Pakistan to Madinah and Jeddah for the Hajj were originally scheduled to run from May 31 to July 3. The Hajj has been postponed for a week because the government has yet to announce its Hajj strategy. From July 14 to August 13, the post-Hajj surgery would take place.

    The strength of people who go through government programmes or commercial operators is determined by the government’s Hajj strategy. It also establishes pilgrim quotas for airlines and private Hajj operators from each city.

  • Saudi Arabia to allow one million Hajj pilgrims for 2022

    Saudi Arabia to allow one million Hajj pilgrims for 2022

    Saudi Arabia has increased the Hajj pilgrimage limit in the country to one million compared to last year’s 60,000 domestic pilgrims.

    To combat the coronavirus pandemic, attendance at the Islamic event was drastically reduced in the past two years due to travel restrictions.

    As per the latest notice, Pilgrims must be under the age of 65 and have received COVID-19 vaccinations that have been approved by the Saudi health ministry.

    All pilgrims must present a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test report within three days (72 hours of departure time).

    The move intends to accommodate the greatest number of pilgrims to perform Hajj while retaining the Kingdom’s health improvements in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the ministry.

    Furthermore, the directives noted that the expansion will be based on the quotas decided for nations that will follow the Kingdom’s mandatory health recommendations.

    As per the official figures, 58,745 pilgrims performed Hajj in 2021. The number of Hajj pilgrims often surpassed the two million count before the Covid-19 outbreak.