Several agreements expected to be signed as Abu Dhabi crown prince visits Pakistan today

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki on Wednesday formally handed over travel documents to 30 Pakistani pilgrims invited by the Kingdom as state guests to perform Umrah this year, state-run media reported, vowing to facilitate them during their journey. 
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman last year approved the hosting of 1,000 pilgrims from 66 countries to perform Umrah as part of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Program for Hajj, Umrah, and Visit. The pilgrims will be hosted in four groups during the current Islamic year, which ends in the final week of June 2025.
At a ceremony held in Islamabad, Malki expressed the Kingdom’s “deep commitment” to facilitate the pilgrims, underscoring the strong fraternal ties between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported. 
“These guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques will have the opportunity to perform Umrah with all necessary arrangements i.e. travel, lodging, and logistical support during their stay in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah under the supervision of the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance,” APP said. 

The Pakistani beneficiaries of the program expressed gratitude to King Salman and the Saudi government for their hospitality.
The APP said thousands of Pakistani citizens have benefitted from similar programs over the years, reflecting the deep-rooted religious and historical ties between the two nations.

“This latest gesture reaffirms Saudi Arabia’s unwavering commitment to facilitating the spiritual journeys of Muslims worldwide, particularly those from Pakistan, a country with one of the largest contingents of Umrah and Hajj pilgrims annually,” the state-run media said. 

Thousands of Pakistanis travel to Saudi Arabia every year to perform the voluntary Umrah pilgrimage, visiting holy Islamic places of worship in Makkah and Madinah.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Wednesday reiterated their support for a two-state solution in the Middle East, calling for Muslim countries to unite in the face of complex challenges worldwide. 
Prominent Muslim countries around the world, including Pakistan, have been advocating for an independent state of Palestine based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Sharif, who arrived on an official visit to Uzbekistan to promote trade and investment on Tuesday, said he and Mirziyoyev reviewed the Middle East situation, where an uneasy truce currently holds after Israel’s 15-month war on Gaza. 
“Finally, I would like to mention that Pakistan stands by the people of Gaza, we believe in a two-state concept, an independent state of Palestine and their rights enshrined in UN Security Council resolutions,” Sharif said. 

He said both leaders agreed on the need for greater Muslim unity to navigate the challenges of the complex world. 
“I also told you that in this complex world we need to unite the Muslim world and we talked about Gaza during the negotiations,” Mirziyoyev said.
“There should be a two-state concept whether anyone would like it or not.”
Israel killed over 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza through its relentless military campaigns that began since Oct. 7, 2023 after a surprising Hamas attack. 
Both sides agreed to an uneasy truce in January this year which has led to the cessation of hostilities and exchange of hostages. 
Fears of the truce collapsing were renewed last week after Israel delayed the release of some 600 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday to protest what it says is the cruel treatment of hostages during their release by Hamas.
The Palestinian group has released hostages, and the bodies of four dead hostages, in large public ceremonies during which the Israelis were paraded and forced to wave to large crowds.
Hamas has said the delay is a “serious violation” of their ceasefire and that talks on a second phase of the truce are not possible until the Palestinians are freed.