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Saudi Arabia restores Pakistan’s pre-COVID Hajj quota, ends age limit

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  • Saudi Arabia restores Pakistan’s Hajj quota to pre-pandemic levels.
  • Age limit for Hajj pilgrims has been abolished by Riyadh. 
  • Hajj Policy 2023 will be announced after approval of cabinet. 

In a major development, Saudi Arabia restored Pakistan’s Hajj quota to pre-pandemic levels and lifted the upper age limit as the COVID-19 epidemic waned, confirmed Ministry for Religious Affairs on Monday.

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Mufti Abdul Shakoor received a draft of the annual Hajj agreement from the Saudi authorities, under which, Pakistan’s previous Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims has been restored and the age limit of 65 years has been abolished, according to the ministry.

The religious affairs minister is currently in Saudi Arabia to attend the four-day International Hajj Conference. During his visit, the minister called on his Saudi counterpart and other officials.

According to the ministry, this year Hajj applications are likely to be invited by the end of February. The minister will announce the Hajj Policy 2023 after the approval of the federal cabinet.

On the other hand, Saudi Arabia‘s Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq al-Rabi’ah, has said that delegations from 19 countries including Pakistan, India and Iran signed Hajj agreements.

These agreements detail the number of pilgrims, their arrival and departure, and the services offered to them.

Turkey, Sudan, Yemen, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, and Bahrain are among the other signatories of the Hajj Agreement, said the Saudi minister.

Furthermore, a delegation including ministers from 12 countries met the minister, who then informed the delegations about the new facilities offered to Hajj pilgrims by the Saudi government.

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Rainfall throughout the night stops flights in Lahore.

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Allama Iqbal International Airport experienced many hours of flight disruption due to the intense rainfall and windstorms that occurred overnight in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab.

Aviation sources claim that because of the monsoon weather, the flight operation was unable to operate between 3 and 4 am.

It is possible that the planes will arrive at the airport at 4 am.

Amidst delays in foreign airline flights, three aircraft made landings in Multan and Peshawar.

Riyadh flights arrived in Peshawar Airport, while flights scheduled to land in Lahore in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain ended up landing in Multan Airport.

Seven hours later than scheduled, the Qatar Airways flight from Doha arrived in Lahore.

Because of the bad weather, there are delays in the arrival and departure of numerous international planes.

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Changes to Pakistan’s Test team could be significant for the Bangladesh series.

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Major changes to Pakistan’s team are anticipated ahead of the forthcoming Test series against Bangladesh, sources in Lahore have revealed.

As the team gets ready for the series, meetings with the players are planned for next week.

It is predicted that the Test squad would undergo several changes. The team’s lineup is expected to be strengthened by the likely inclusion of Muhammad Huraira. Key players like Faheem Ashraf, Wasim Jr., Saim Ayub, and Nauman Ali, whose contributions are vital to the team’s success, struggle to get a spot on the squad.

Furthermore, according to sources, Imamul Haq or Sahibzada Farhan are anticipated to be added to the team, subject to additional assessment. Furthermore, following a fitness assessment, Amir Jamal and Hasan Ali’s futures will be determined.

The ultimate selection for the Test team will take place following Red Ball head coach Jason Gillespie’s return to Pakistan. The ultimate squad that will play Bangladesh in the forthcoming Test series will be greatly influenced by his assessments and thoughts.

Pakistan is scheduled to visit New Zealand in March and April of 2025, according to the country’s official cricket schedule, which was released earlier this month.

Throughout their visit, the Pakistan cricket team will play three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) in an exciting series.

The T20I series, which starts at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on March 16, will serve as the tour’s opening event.

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PM Meets With KP Lawmakers: Promises Progression and Relief Efforts in Province

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Khyber Pakhtunkhawa lawmakers are given assurances by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding the province’s development, namely in the amalgamated districts, with a particular emphasis on the provision of standard health and educational facilities.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa National and Provincial Assembly members paid a visit to Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at PM House.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister stated that the PML-N Government has always given priority to the development of the combined districts.

The prime minister promised that the combined Districts would have standard health and educational facilities, and that Danish Schools would be established nearby to offer local pupils an education of the highest caliber possible.

The PM also underlined the importance of promoting solar energy, combating electricity theft, and helping the middle class and impoverished.

He said that in order to boost the agriculture sector’s growth, expand the amount of land under cultivation, and reduce the nation’s reliance on foreign fuel imports, the government was converting agricultural tubewells to solar energy nationwide.

According to PM Shehbaz Sharif, the government recently provided significant reduction from electricity rates for those with low and moderate incomes.

At the event, he also announced the creation of a committee headed by the deputy prime minister, whose goal will be to identify long-term solutions to the issues facing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s elected officials.

He argued that in order to preserve the nation from going into default, the current government had to make difficult political choices in order to revitalize the economy.

The parliamentarians gave Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif high marks for his visionary leadership in transforming Pakistan’s economy.

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