- Govt to organize flights at reduced prices for blocked pilgrims.
- The Minister announces the reimbursement of payments made to tour operators.
- The validity of visas for prolonged pilgrims of 60 more days.
Karachi: In a major breakthrough, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) and the Shiite Council of Ulema canceled their planned march of Ancholi de Karachi on the Pakistani-Iranian border after successful discussions with the federal government.
The consensus on an agreement of seven points was concluded at a high -level meeting in Karachi where the governor of Sindh Kamran Tessori, the Minister of State inside Talal Chaudhry, and the head of the MWM Allama Raja Nasir Abbas Jafri addressed to the joint press conference.
Addressing the press conference after the late evening talks led by the Governor of Sindh, Kamran Tessori, the Minister said that the government and the management of the MWM agreed on an understanding of seven points.
He thanked the management of the MWM for putting an end to his protest march, saying that the Taftan border had not been closed and would not be closed in the future for pilgrims.
Talal Chaudhry said that visa extensions up to 60 days would be facilitated in coordination with the Iraqi authorities. He also announced that reduced prices flights would be organized for those who still intended to travel.
The government is committed to ensuring reimbursements for payments made to tour operators, bus services and transport companies by pilgrims who had reserved trips by land.
While advising land trips this year for security reasons, the minister said that the Taftan-Rimdan border would remain open.
Also speaking during the press conference, the MWM vice-president Allama Ahmed Iqbal Rizvi, thanked the Minister and the Governor of State for playing a positive role and carrying out the difficulties that the prohibition of land trips caused the pilgrims.
He announced the end of the march of the Arbaeen protest, saying that they would monitor the progress of the understanding of the government.
He thanked the governor for facilitating talks and said the governor is the guarantor of the MWM.
He demanded that the federal government make concessional air tickets to pilgrims who had already obtained a visa for the pilgrimage. The governor said everything had agreed that there would now be talks, no protest march.
Interior Minister Mohin Naqvi had previously announced that Pakistani pilgrims would not be allowed to go to Iran or Iraq by road to this year’s Arbaeen pilgrimage due to security problems.
Each year, around 700,000 Pakistani pilgrims go to Iraq, in particular for Arbaeen, which marks the 40th day of mourning after the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) during the battle of Karbala.
