Saudi Arabia imposed a temporary visa ban on 14 countries, including Pakistan, before the North Korean 2025 season.
Sources said the visa ban will apply to business and family visa Umrah, and the restrictions may end in mid-June.
Diplomatic sources say Umra visa holders can enter Saudi Arabia until April 13, with other countries subject to visa bans including India, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Iraq, Nigeria, Jordan, Algeria, Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Tunisia and Yemen.
Sources added that the Saudi government has formally informed Pakistan of the decision as the ban remains in Saudi Arabia for five years.
They also mentioned that Pakistan’s Umrah Visa holders have been directed to return to their country by April 29.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Religious Affairs approved the flight schedule of the North J alone. Under the government’s plan to Khmer, 89,000 pilgrims will travel to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage through five airlines.
This timeline will be available on the PAK HAJJ mobile app starting today. All pilgrims can learn about their flights from the application.
The first flight to J will take off on April 29 and the last flight will leave on May 31. Five flights will depart from Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and Multan on April 29.
The pilgrims have been instructed to receive vaccination at their respective Haji camps ten days before the flight, which is mandatory. The second phase of the Pilgrim training will begin on April 8.
Meanwhile, PIA announced its previous 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 via 280 special flights belonging to government and private programs. The Boeing 777 and Airbus 320 aircraft will be used to make the journey more comfortable and organized. PIA’s Hajj post-operation will begin on June 12 and will last until July 10.
It is worth noting that as many as 179,210 Pakistani pilgrims will perform pilgrimage this year
The cost of the 40-day toward J kit was reduced by Rs 25,000, totaling to Rs 1,050,000.
Similarly, the 25-day short-to-j kit further reduced Rs 50,000, setting the new price at Rs 1,100,000.
