Pakistan among 14 countries facing Saudi Arabia visa ban

• Umrah visa holders can enter Saudi Arabia until April 13.
• Pakistani Umrah visa holders directed to return by April 29.
• Govt approves Hajj flight schedule from April 29 to May 31.
  

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia has imposed a temporary visa ban on 14 countries, including Pakistan, ahead of the Hajj 2025 season, The News reported on Sunday.

The sources say that the visa ban will apply to Umrah, business and family visas, with the restrictions likely to end in mid-June.

With the diplomatic sources saying that the Umrah visa holders can enter Saudi Arabia until April 13, other countries subjected to the visa ban include India, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Nigeria, Jordan, Algeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tunisia and Yemen.

With the possibility of a five-year restriction on staying in Saudi Arabia despite the ban, the sources added that the Saudi government has officially informed Pakistan about this decision.

They also mentioned that Pakistani Umrah visa holders have been instructed to return to their country by April 29.

Meanwhile, separately, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has approved the Hajj flight schedule. Under the government Hajj scheme, 89,000 pilgrims will travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj through five airlines.

The schedule will be available on the Pak Hajj mobile application from today. All pilgrims can know about their flight from the application.

The first Hajj flight will depart on April 29, while the last flight will leave on May 31. Five flights will depart from Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and Multan on April 29.

Pilgrims have been instructed to get vaccinated at their respective Haji camps ten days before their flight, which is mandatory. The second phase of pilgrim training will begin on April 8.

Meanwhile, PIA has announced its pre-Hajj operations, which will continue from April 29 to June 1.

During this period, the national airline will transport more than 56,000 Pakistani pilgrims to Saudi Arabia through 280 special flights, belonging to both government and private schemes. Boeing 777 and Airbus 320 aircraft will be used to make the journey more comfortable and organized. PIA’s post-Hajj operation will begin on June 12 and will continue until July 10.

It is to be noted that as many as 179,210 Pakistani pilgrims will perform the Hajj this year 

The cost of the 40-day-long Hajj package has been reduced by Rs25,000, bringing the total to Rs1,050,000.

Similarly, the 25-day short Hajj package has been further reduced by Rs50,000, setting the new price at Rs1,100,000.