Tag: KSA

  • Pakistani scientist Dr. Mehmood Khan receives Saudi citizenship under Vision 2030

    Pakistani scientist Dr. Mehmood Khan receives Saudi citizenship under Vision 2030

    The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has granted Saudi citizenship to Pakistani scientist Dr. Mehmood Khan. A royal decree was issued under Vision 2030 to confer nationality upon scientists, medical doctors, researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and distinguished talents with unique expertise and specialization in their respective fields.

    Dr. Khan currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Hevolution Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing aging-related treatments, accelerating drug development timelines, and improving access to therapeutics that extend human lifespans.

    Saudi Arabia initiated Vision 2030 to attract and retain exceptional global talent, thereby enhancing the country’s economic and social development.

  • No political slogans allowed during Hajj, warns Saudi Arabia

    No political slogans allowed during Hajj, warns Saudi Arabia

    Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq al-Rabiyyah, on June 6, warned pilgrims that political slogans are not allowed during Hajj.

    Saudi Minister of Hajj Tawfiq al-Rabiyyah told reporters in Riyadh that, “Hajj is for worship and not for any political slogans, so no one will be allowed to raise political slogans during Hajj,” Geo News reported.

    The Saudi Minister for Hajj said that Hajj is a form of worship, and the Saudi government wants to ensure that Hajj remains the highest manifestation of humility, peace and spirituality.

    Moreover, the official page of news publication ‘Inside The Haramain’ posted the minister’s press conference with the caption, “Hajj is for worship only, not for political slogans.”

    The post further added, “Making Dua for Palestinians especially our brothers in Gaza is not banned, this is completely false. What is banned is raising political slogans, be it from any country or region. ONLY the Dhikr of Allah can be raised in the Two Holy Mosques and Mosques.”

  • Aima Baig’s Umrah with tattoos stirs up social media buzz

    Aima Baig’s Umrah with tattoos stirs up social media buzz

    Aima Baig, the sensational Pakistani singer, has once again embarked to Saudi Arabia for an Umrah and this time, she’s taking her father along.

    Aima is currently in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah with her father by her side. Last year, during Rabbi-ul-Awal, she went on the sacred journey.
    Aima has been flooding our feeds with heartwarming Umrah pictures featuring her beloved dad. She’s been gushing about her Umrah experience in detail, sharing her joy with the world.

    Aima didn’t shy away from addressing the elephant in the room – her tattoos! In her captions, she mentioned performing Umrah despite having inked skin. And to all the trolls out there, she had a witty comeback: “Allah invited me, not you!”

    Read the comments:

  • Donors pledge more than $10 billion for Pakistan flood recovery at Geneva conference

    Donors pledge more than $10 billion for Pakistan flood recovery at Geneva conference

    Pakistan has secured over $10.5 billion in pledges from international creditors at the one-day International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan in Geneva, which will help the cash-strapped country recover from last year’s devastating floods.

    By the end of the first plenary session, Pakistan had received pledges totaling $8.57 billion, and in the second session, it had secured more than $2 billion.

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the international community to help Pakistan build climate-resilient infrastructure and to grant access to the knowledge and resources needed to survive future catastrophes.

    The delegations recalled their support for the emergency relief operations during the conference and reaffirmed their commitment to Pakistan’s people in support of a strong recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.

    All donations pledged at the Geneva conference

    • Islamic Development Bank: $4.2 billion
    • World Bank: $2 billion
    • Asian Development Bank: $1.5 billion
    • Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: $1 billion
    • Saudi Arabia: $1 billion
    • France: $384 million
    • China: $100 million
    • United States: $100 million
    • EU: $93 million
    • Germany: $88 million
    • Japan: $77 million
    • United Kingdom: $10 million
    • Azerbaijan: $2 million

    The attendees voiced their solidarity and pledged financial support for the ongoing humanitarian activities as well as the achievement of the goals and key areas. The meeting was co-hosted by Pakistan and the UN.

    The World Bank has pledged $2 billion, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has pledged $1 billion, and the Islamic Development Bank Group has pledged $4.2 billion over three years.

    Furthermore, Asian Development Bank has pledged $1.5 billion, while the European Union has offered $93 million, Germany has pledged $88 million, China has pledged $100 million, Japan has pledged $77 million, and so on. The French government has committed $345 million, and the United States Agency for International Development has offered $100 million.

    Saudi Arabia has also committed $1 billion to assist Pakistan in reconstruction efforts.

  • Pakistan to receive $13 billion in financial assistance from China and Saudi Arabia

    Pakistan to receive $13 billion in financial assistance from China and Saudi Arabia

    Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister of Finance, has said that Pakistan’s two closest friends, China and Saudi Arabia, will contribute a multibillion-dollar financial package to assist Pakistan with its shaky economy.

    According to the Finance Minister, both countries will grant Pakistan a $13 billion package.

    According to The News, Dar went on to say that China intends to contribute $8.8 billion in assistance, including loan rollovers, during the current fiscal year, and that it will also roll over $4 billion in deposit returns.

    In addition, Ishaq Dar indicated that it will provide $3.3 billion in commercial loans and $1.45 billion in additional financing.

    Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is expected to contribute an extra $4.2 billion in aid, including $3 billion in new reserves and a delayed payment oil facility, according to the Finance Minister. He declared that the Kingdom would construct a petrochemical facility in Gwadar.

    Furthermore, the Minister stated that both countries have guaranteed Pakistan’s Prime Minister (PM), Shehbaz Sharif, of their support and will continue to do so till June 2023.

    Furthermore, China has promised that construction on CPEC’s key railway projects, Main Line 1 (ML-1) and Karachi Circular Railway (KCR), will begin shortly.

  • Gen Bajwa receives medal for his contributions by Saudi Arabia

    Gen Bajwa receives medal for his contributions by Saudi Arabia

    Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, first deputy Prime Minister (PM) and minister of defence, decorated Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa with the King Abdulaziz Medal of Excellent Class for making “significant contributions in defence cooperation” between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

    The medal was named after Saudi Arabia’s founding King Abdulaziz Al Saud and is considered the highest civilian honour in KSA. Recently, it was given to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

    Pakistan’s army chief visited Saudi Arabia on an official tour met with the Crown Prince in Jeddah on Saturday. They reviewed bilateral relations, especially in the military fields, and opportunities for developing them. They also discussed a number of issues of common interest.

    Following this, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the COAS for being conferred the honour. “It is a great honour for the people and the armed forces of Pakistan,” he said in a tweet.

    In another tweet, he said Pakistan considers the security of Saudi Arabia “as our own and are completely resolved to further cementing our multifaceted bilateral relationship including excellent defence cooperation”.

    COAS Bajwa meets Musharraf:

    COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa and his wife also paid a visit to former President and Army Chief General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in Dubai, reports emerged on Saturday.

    Gen Qamar and his wife were accompanied by top physicians of the Pakistan Army. They spent some time with Gen Musharraf and his family while the army doctors examined the former military ruler, reports The Express Tribune.

    Earlier this month, Musharraf’s family revealed that he is going through a difficult stage where recovery is not possible as his organs are malfunctioning.

    After this, the establishment and politicians, including Nawaz Sharif, came forward and were of the view that he should be brought back to Pakistan.

  • Joe Biden to visit Saudi Arabia after calling Kingdom ‘isolated’

    United States (US) President Joe Biden will make his first Presidential trip to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Israel and the Palestinian West Bank next month from July 13-16, confirmed by the White House, reports Associated Press (AP).

    During this visit, Biden will meet Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in KSA, Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Naftali Bennett in Jerusalem and Palestinian Authority leaders, including Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.

    Announcing the Middle East trip, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “King Salman invited Biden to visit the kingdom during a gathering in the port city of Jeddah of the six Gulf Cooperation Council nations.”

    The Saudi Embassy has said that Biden’s visit is “to strengthen the historical bilateral relations and the distinguished strategic partnership between” the two countries.

    In a statement, the Saudi Embassy stated: “The kingdom of Saudi Arabia looks forward to welcoming President Biden and defining the next chapters of our partnership. At a time of global challenges related to the global economy, health, climate and international conflict, the partnership between our two countries are as critical as ever to the promotion of peace, prosperity and stability around the world.”

    As a presidential candidate, Biden said the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi — a Saudi-born US resident who wrote critical articles about Saudi rulers in The Washington Post — had made KSA a “pariah.” When Biden took charge of the presidency, his administration made clear the president would avoid direct engagement with the crown prince and instead focus on his engagements with King Salman.

  • 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.

  • ‘Rana, rethink decision’, PPP tells govt not to lodge case on Masjid-e-Nabwi incident

    ‘Rana, rethink decision’, PPP tells govt not to lodge case on Masjid-e-Nabwi incident

    Federal Minister for Water Resources Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah has said that cases against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) should not have been lodged in Pakistan.

    According to Shah, action should only be taken against the people who took the law into their hands in Pakistan. He added that if somebody had shown disrespect to the sacred place, only Allah and His Prophet (PBUH) would punish him for that.

    Shah further said that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah should rethink the issue seriously. However, the interior minister defended the registration of cases against PTI leaders.

    In a tweet, Sanaullah said that there was no justification to not register a case against those who violate the sanctity of Roza-e-Rasool.

    Pilgrims were instigated under a plan, the minister said, adding that some of the people had travelled to Saudi Arabia from Britain. “There can be no forgiveness for what these people have done,” he said.

    Talking about the ongoing protest led by PTI Chairperson Imran Khan, Shah said that we will never object to Khan’s democratic right to protest.

    “Whoever wishes to bring millions of people in long march should not be barred and protesters should not be arrested for taking part in a peaceful protest. The government should be careful while issuing statements about PTI’s long march. It should take decisions with consensus as we are their partners in the coalition government,” added Shah.

    Last week, Faisalabad police registered a case under ‘blasphemy laws’ against the PTI chairman and over 150 others following the Masjid-e-Nabwi incident.

    Top leaders of the PTI and Imran’s close associates, including Fawad Chaudhry, Shahbaz Gill, Qasim Suri, Sahibzada Jahangir, Aneel Musarrat as well as Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed and his nephew Sheikh Rasheed Shafiq were nominated.

  • ‘Can’t show their face in public places’: Imran Khan breaks silence over Masjid-e-Nabwi incident

    ‘Can’t show their face in public places’: Imran Khan breaks silence over Masjid-e-Nabwi incident

    Former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan termed the incident of hooliganism in Masjid-e-Nabwi a public reaction, saying it was the “consequence” of their [rulers] own deeds.

    In an interview with Arshad Sharif on ARY programme ‘Power Play’, Imran Khan pointed out that the masses have never reacted in such a manner in the entire history of the country, which has been observed outside Masjid-e-Nabwi. “We are not asking people to come out and the public is taking to the streets on their own as they are in pain and anger. However, I can challenge they [the rulers] won’t be able to show their faces in any public place,” the PTI chairman claimed.

    This week, a group of Pakistani protesters violated the sanctity of Masjid-e-Nabwi in Madina by chanting ‘chor chor’ slogans against newly-elected PM Shehbaz Sharif and members of his delegation.

    Following the incident, several personalities condemned the incident.

    “Neither can I think of inciting people to hooliganism at Masjid-e-Nabwi, nor can a true lover of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) think of doing this,” he said.

    “The place I have in my heart for Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), I don’t need to prove it, and I have raised my voice around the world against islamophobia,” the PTI chairman said, adding, “I believe that Iman [faith] cannot be completed until you love Prophet (PBUH).”