Saudi Arabia announced in April that one million Muslims, including 850,000 from abroad, would be able to perform Hajj this year.
MECCA: Of the hundreds of thousands of Muslims arriving in Mecca this week for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, perhaps none had a more arduous journey than Adam Mohammed, a 53-year-old electrical engineer from the United Kingdom.
Mohammed, who is of Iraqi-Kurdish origin, decided last year to travel on foot to Saudi Arabia, a journey of more than 7,000 kilometres (4,350 miles) that took him through nine countries before he crossed over from Jordan into the northwestern Saudi town of Tabuk.
The trip was made all the more dramatic by the fact that when he started his trek 11 months ago, pushing a cart in front of him that contained his food and other supplies, he had no idea whether he would be able to access the holy mosques in Mecca and Medina.
It was only in April that Saudi Arabia, which barred overseas pilgrims in 2020 and 2021 as part of efforts to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic, announced that one million Muslims, including 850,000 from abroad, would be able to participate this year.
Now safely in Mecca, some 15 kilograms (33 pounds) lighter than when he started, Mohammed has no regrets.
“I cried when I first arrived. It’s an unbelievable feeling,” he told AFP.
“My trip was exhausting. I stopped in many places for rest. But I was focused on one thing: I am 53 years old, so what if I spare 11 months on the road to reach the house of God? It’s doable.”
Mohammed said Saudi authorities granted him and his wife and two daughters, who have flown from the UK to the Gulf kingdom, a permit to participate in the hajj, which consists of a series of religious rites completed in Mecca and surrounding areas of western Saudi Arabia.
Most of the other foreigners performing the rite have been selected via a lottery system.
‘It is my dream’
One of the five pillars of Islam, the hajj must be undertaken by all able-bodied Muslims who have the means at least once in their lives.
But pandemic restrictions forced countless would-be pilgrims based outside Saudi Arabia to put their plans on hold.
Usually one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, about 2.5 million people participated in 2019, before the pandemic began.
The following year, foreigners were blocked and the total number of worshippers was capped at 10,000 to stop the hajj from turning into a global super-spreader.
That figure rose to 60,000 fully vaccinated Saudi citizens and residents in 2021.
Hosting the hajj is a matter of prestige and a powerful source of legitimacy for Saudi rulers.
The ban on overseas pilgrims caused deep disappointment among Muslims worldwide, who typically save for years to take part.
Though the number is much higher this year, there are still some restrictions: participants must be Muslims aged under 65 who are fully vaccinated and can submit a negative Covid-19 PCR result from a test taken within 72 hours of travel.
The hajj officially begins Wednesday, and Mecca is already overrun with worshippers who, like Mohammed, are relieved to have finally reached their destination after long, stressful waits.
A 30-year-old Russian pilgrim who gave her name as Halima said she had been imagining her stay in Mecca for more than a decade.
The hajj costs at least $5,000 per person, and Halima said she shared her story with friends to drum up funds for both her and her father to come.
“Yesterday was the first time I saw the Kaaba,” she said, referring to the large black cubic structure at the centre of the Grand Mosque.
“It is my dream to be here, and now I am living it.”
In an endeavour to make Pakistan polio-free, Dr. Shahzad Baig, the coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication, asked parents to vaccinate their children against polio and appealed for society’s combined efforts to eradicate the disease.
He stated that the national cause of eliminating polio is something that people from all walks of life, including the media, academics from religious institutions, educators, parents, and influential individuals, should unite and work towards.
In order to completely remove this threat from our nation, he added, all political and religious groups, celebrities, members of all social groups, and regular citizens should step up.
“A last-ditch effort is required to end this terrible illness,” he continued.
Along with acknowledging the unsung heroes of the polio eradication project, he also expressed gratitude to the front-line workers who persevered in challenging conditions to administer the life-saving vaccination to youngsters.
“Please greet these workers at the door when they arrive, parents and carers. The next generation of our nation is being safeguarded by their efforts, he said.
The true difficulty, according to him, was getting the word out to local pulpits and rural places. People shouldn’t be duped by unfavourable information regarding the polio vaccine, according to Dr. Shahzad Baig.
In response to a query, he stated that the anti-polio vaccine was being pushed to parents and that multiple incidents of rejection had been documented in various isolated communities.
He gave the assurance that all aid and cooperation from the federal government is being provided in this regard.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index increased by more than 1.50 percent on Monday, driven by the possibility of significant Saudi investment. Investors are now more optimistic that the central bank will soon begin a cycle of interest rate cuts, and another IMF programme is very much on the horizon.
The KSE-100 Index increased by 910.25 points, or 1.27 percent, by 1:29 pm PST to close at 72,812.34, having reached an intraday high of 73,060.74.
Additionally, on Monday, Ibrahim Al Mubarak, the deputy minister of investments for Saudi Arabia, stated that his nation preferred Pakistan’s economic growth and thought it was the best place to make investments.
The news is definitely good for equities that have been cheap since their market capitalization peaked in 2017, as many industries—energy, agriculture, technology, and mining being the primary ones—can now attract much-needed foreign investment.
The inflation of Pakistan
The consumer price index (CPI) for April increased by 17.3 percent, the lowest level since May 2022. This led to the benchmark index rising by 1244.45 points, or 1.76 percent, during the last session on Friday of last week.
This indicates that, like in March, annual inflation declined for the fourth straight month in April and stayed below the current record high interest rates of 22 percent. like a result, the State Bank of Pakistan may decide to begin reducing interest rates at its upcoming meeting on June 10.
While the pattern seen on Friday was also influenced by a market correction, the persistence of this most recent upswing indicates that investors are anticipating an economic recovery in the context of falling inflation and impending Saudi Arabian investment.
IMF APPEAL
In the meantime, the IMF continues to play a significant role in Pakistan, influencing not just public policy but also private sector initiatives and the lives of common citizens. Furthermore, the market was undoubtedly helped by the world’s largest lender’s most recent announcement of the upcoming transaction negotiations.
The Bretton Woods Institution said on Sunday that a delegation was scheduled to visit Pakistan this month to talk about a new initiative, prior to Islamabad starting the annual budget-making process for the upcoming fiscal year.
Although Pakistan’s $3 billion short-term programme helped prevent a sovereign default last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s administration has emphasised the necessity for a new, longer-term initiative.
The IMF responded to Reuters via email, saying that a mission is anticipated to visit Pakistan in May to review the FY25 budget, policies, and reforms under a proposed new programme for the wellbeing of all Pakistanis.
MERCURABLE BY SAMPLE
Meanwhile, it has been claimed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would pay a visit to Pakistan later this month. The kingdom has been making massive investments all over the world in an effort to become a more significant player in world affairs.
It makes sense that after years of political unrest and economic hardship, his presence and the Saudi investment will aid Pakistan in establishing itself as a desirable location for investors.
The explanation is straightforward: Saudi Arabia continues to be a significant actor in world politics. Nonetheless, the globe has begun to view MBS, the crown prince’s nickname, as a role model due to his policies of diversifying his nation’s economy and elevating the kingdom to a centre of commerce.
The founder of Pakistan, Tehreek e Insaf (PTI), has filed a bail petition against a 190 million-pound NAB reference, and the Islamabad High Court (IHC) is set to hold a hearing today.
Chief Justice Aamer Farooq of the IHC and Justice Tariq Mehmmod Jahangiri, the other member of the two-member bench, will hear the matter promptly at 12 p.m.
Presenting the arguments before the court will be the prosecutor from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) during the hearings.
In addition, today is scheduled for the hearing of the petitions filed by Shah Mehmood Qureshi and PTI founder Imran Khan opposing indictment in the cypher case.
At precisely 2 pm, the cypher case hearing will be presided over by a second two-member bench made up of CJ Aamer Farooq and Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb.
Here, the prosecution’s arguments will be made in front of the bench by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) prosecutor.