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Pakistan urges Hajj pilgrims to follow Saudi directives on sacrifice, stoning of the devil

Pakistan urges Hajj pilgrims to follow Saudi directives on sacrifice, stoning of the devil
Muslim worshippers gather for prayers around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Mecca, Ƶ, on June 2, 2025 ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. (AFP)
Updated 10 min 16 sec ago

Pakistan urges Hajj pilgrims to follow Saudi directives on sacrifice, stoning of the devil

Pakistan urges Hajj pilgrims to follow Saudi directives on sacrifice, stoning of the devil
  • Pilgrims throw pebbles at three pillars in Mina in symbolic stoning of devil as one of final rituals of Hajj
  • Pakistan Hajj mission advises pilgrims to carry out stoning during designated timings set by Ƶ

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Hajj Mission Makkah has advised the country’s pilgrims to follow the directives issued by Ƶ concerning the stoning of the devil or “Rami Al-Jamarat’ and animal sacrifice rituals during the annual Islamic pilgrimage, state-run media reported on Monday.

Hajj pilgrims take part in the symbolic stoning of the devil, which is among the final rites of the pilgrimage. Pilgrims throw pebbles at three pillars in Mina, performing the ritual during the three days of the Hajj starting on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah.

State broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported that each Maktab will have designated timings for the act of stoning the devil on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah.

“Every ‘Nazim’ [administrator] is bound to ensure that the intending pilgrims perform this ritual as per their allocated time slot,” Radio Pakistan said. “Therefore, all pilgrims are advised to proceed in groups under the supervision of their ‘Nazim’ as per schedule.”

The state broadcaster also reported that the Saudi authorities have set the time for sacrificing animals for Pakistani Hujjaj on the night between the 10th and 11th of Dhul Hijjah at 12:30 am.

“Hence, all pilgrims are urged to complete the ‘Rami’ of the first day before midnight,” it said. “Pakistani Mission has strongly urged the Hujjaj to strictly follow these instructions to avoid any untoward situation.”

During the Hajj pilgrimage, which concludes this year on Monday, June 9, pilgrims are required to sacrifice an animal.

Nearly 89,000 Pakistanis have traveled to Ƶ under the government’s Hajj scheme and over 23,620 Pakistanis are performing the Hajj through private tour operators.


Pakistan to play in Sri Lanka at India-hosted Women’s World Cup

Pakistan to play in Sri Lanka at India-hosted Women’s World Cup
Updated 19 sec ago

Pakistan to play in Sri Lanka at India-hosted Women’s World Cup

Pakistan to play in Sri Lanka at India-hosted Women’s World Cup
  • ICC introduced neutral venues to tournaments hosted by either neighboring India, Pakistan
  • Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan were last month involved in a four-day military conflict

NEW DELHI, India: Pakistan will play their matches at this year’s Women’s Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka under an International Cricket Council deal that allows them to avoid playing in host nation India.

The refusal of India to travel to Pakistan for the men’s Champions Trophy earlier this year resulted in the ICC introducing neutral venues to tournaments hosted by either of the neighboring countries.

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan were last month involved in a four-day military conflict, their worst since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed.

Sri Lanka’s Colombo will join Indian host cities Bengaluru, Guwahati, Indore and Visakhapatnam in staging matches from September 30 until the final of the 50-over tournament on November 2, the ICC announced late on Monday.

Colombo will be Pakistan’s home for seven group games.

The first semifinal will take place in either Guwahati or Colombo, if Pakistan progress that far, on October 29 with the second semifinal a day later in Bengaluru.

The final will be in either Bengaluru or Colombo on Sunday, November 2.

“The venues for the knockouts are dependent on Pakistan qualifying,” the ICC said in a statement.

“Two alternative venues have been identified for one semifinal and the final.”

Eight teams will contest the World Cup — Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Australia beat England by 71 runs in the final of the last Women’s World Cup, hosted by New Zealand in 2022.


Pakistan Railways offers major discount in train fares on Eid Al-Adha

Pakistan Railways offers major discount in train fares on Eid Al-Adha
Updated 35 min 43 sec ago

Pakistan Railways offers major discount in train fares on Eid Al-Adha

Pakistan Railways offers major discount in train fares on Eid Al-Adha
  • Pakistan has announced a four-day holiday on Eid Al-Adha from June 6 till June 9
  • The railways is also running five special Eid trains ahead of the three-day festival

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways has announced a major discount in train fares during three days of Eid Al-Adha besides running five special trains ahead of the festival, Pakistani state media reported on Monday, citing the railways minister.

Eid Al-Adha is one of the two most important festivals of the Islamic calendar. Muslims mark the festival by slaughtering animals such as sheep and goats, and sharing their meat among family, friends and the poor.

The Pakistani government has announced a four-day holiday on Eid Al-Adha from June 6 till June 9, and hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis will be traveling to their hometowns to celebrate the occasion among their loved ones.

“Pakistan Railways will… offer a 20 percent discount on fares during the three days of Eid-ul-Azha,” the Pakistan Television (PTV) reported on Monday, citing Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi.

The announcement came hours after the first Eid special train left the southern port city of Karachi for Lahore on Monday. The second train will leave Quetta for Peshawar at 10am today, Tuesday, while the third will leave from Lahore to Karachi via Multan at 5pm.

The fourth train will depart from Karachi to Rawalpindi at 8pm on Tuesday, while the last special train will leave Karachi for Lahore at 8pm on June 4.

Abbasi shared that the department’s revenue had reached Rs83 billion ($294 million) due to improved operations over the last four months, according to the broadcaster.

He said a new passenger train will operate between Punjab’s Lahore and Narowal district, starting June 15.


Islamabad’s delegation in New York to advance Pakistan’s case following India standoff briefs UNSC

Islamabad’s delegation in New York to advance Pakistan’s case following India standoff briefs UNSC
Updated 02 June 2025

Islamabad’s delegation in New York to advance Pakistan’s case following India standoff briefs UNSC

Islamabad’s delegation in New York to advance Pakistan’s case following India standoff briefs UNSC
  • PM appointed delegation to visit world capitals to advocate for Pakistan after latest military confrontation with India
  • Military escalation between May 7-10 saw the two countries trade missile, drones and artillery fire until US brokered a ceasefire

ISLAMABAD: A high-level Pakistani delegation, led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, has met representatives of the United Nations Security Council’s elected member states and briefed them on last month’s conflict between India and Pakistan as well as New Delhi’s attempt to block Pakistan’s share of Indus waters, Pakistani state media reported on Monday.

Tensions between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India remain high since they struck a ceasefire on May 10 following the most intense military confrontation between them in decades. Both countries accuse the other of supporting militancy on each other’s soil — a charge both capitals deny.

The latest military escalation, in which the two countries traded missile, drones and artillery fire, was sparked after India accused Pakistan of supporting militants who killed over two dozen tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22. Islamabad denies involvement.

In its meeting with representatives of Denmark, Greece, Panama, Japan and other UNSC member states in New York, the Pakistani delegation highlighted that Islamabad’s response to Indian missile strikes was “measured, responsible and in accordance with the UN Charter,” the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.

“It briefed the UNSC elected members that [India’s] holding [of] Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance may lead to water shortage, food crisis and environmental disaster in Pakistan,” the report read. 

“The delegation called on the members of the Security Council to move beyond conflict management and actively support conflict resolution in South Asia.”

India announced suspending the 1960 World Bank-brokered treaty, which ensures water for 80 percent of Pakistani farms, a day after the April 22 attack. Islamabad has called for a credible, international probe into the attack and described the Indian move to suspend the treaty as “act of war.”

Bhutto-Zardari told UNSC members that Indian allegations against Pakistan were without any “credible investigation or verifiable evidence,” and that New Delhi’s targeting of innocent civilians and suspension of Indus Waters Treaty was a threat to regional peace, according to the report.

The Pakistani delegates underscored Islamabad’s commitment to restraint and initiation of a comprehensive dialogue to address outstanding issues with India, particularly the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. 

Bitter rivals India and Pakistan have fought three wars, including two of them over the disputed region of Kashmir, since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety but rule it in part.

“The elected members of UN Security Council appreciated Pakistan’s outreach and welcomed its reaffirmation of commitment to peace and diplomacy,” the report said.

“They noted the significance of de-escalation, respect for international law, and the peaceful settlement of disputes emphasized that the UN Charter must guide state conduct, particularly in regions of high sensitivity such as South Asia. They acknowledged the risks posed by any further escalation and stressed the need to pursue diplomatic solutions.”

The Pakistani delegation, led by Bhutto-Zardari, will also visit Washington DC, London and Brussels to present Pakistan’s position on the conflict. Another delegation, led by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi, will visit Moscow this week.

Pakistan’s foreign office earlier said the two delegations will “underscore the imperative for the international community to play its due role in promoting a lasting peace in South Asia.”


Pakistan’s Punjab issues fresh rain alert after 21 killed by storms last month

Pakistan’s Punjab issues fresh rain alert after 21 killed by storms last month
Updated 02 June 2025

Pakistan’s Punjab issues fresh rain alert after 21 killed by storms last month

Pakistan’s Punjab issues fresh rain alert after 21 killed by storms last month
  • Pakistan has seen erratic weather changes leading to frequent heatwaves, untimely rains, storms and droughts in recent years
  • Thunderstorms last month also claimed more than 10 lives and injured 30 others in the neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province

ISLAMABAD: The Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Monday issued a fresh alert about rains and strong, dusty winds in the province from June 2 till June 5, days after thunderstorms killed nearly two dozen people in Pakistan’s most populous province.

Thunderstorms killed at least 21 people and injured more than 100 others in Punjab as moist currents penetrated upper parts of Pakistan late last month, according to national and provincial disaster management authorities.

More rains and gusty winds are expected in Rawalpindi, Murree, Galiat, Attock, Chakwal, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Jhelum, Gujranwala, Lahore, Kasur, Sialkot, Narowal, Okara, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Khushab, Sargodha, Mianwali, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar districts.

“Citizens should stay in safe places to protect themselves from lightning. The public should never go out under the open sky during thunderstorms and storms,” the PDMA quoted its Director-General Irfan Ali Kathia as saying.

Due to possible rains, it said, the intensity of heat will decrease during the three-day Eid Al-Adha festival, which begins on Saturday.

Kathia said the PDMA has alerted the district administrations as well as health, irrigation, construction and communications, local government and livestock departments.

Pakistan has seen erratic changes in its weather patterns which have led to frequent heat waves, untimely rains, storms, cyclones and droughts in recent years. Scientists have blamed the events on human-driven climate change.

Thunderstorms last month also claimed more than 10 lives, while 30 others sustained injuries in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan’s northwest, according to provincial authorities.

In 2022, devastating floods, blamed on human-driven climate change, killed more than 1,700 Pakistanis, affected another 33 million and caused the country over $30 billion in economic losses.


Pakistan to play in Colombo when India hosts women’s World Cup

Pakistan to play in Colombo when India hosts women’s World Cup
Updated 02 June 2025

Pakistan to play in Colombo when India hosts women’s World Cup

Pakistan to play in Colombo when India hosts women’s World Cup
  • India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series since 2013 and play their matches in neutral venues when either country hosts an ICC event
  • Neutral venue arrangement between the countries will also be in place for the men’s T20 World Cup in 2026, which India will co-host with Sri Lanka

Pakistan will play all their women’s 50-over World Cup matches in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo when India hosts this year’s tournament, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday.

Politically-estranged India and Pakistan, who have not played a bilateral series since 2013, will play their matches in neutral venues when either country hosts an ICC event, the sport’s global governing body announced in December.

“The venues for the knockouts are dependent on Pakistan qualifying as two alternative venues have been identified for one semifinal and the final,” the ICC said.

“Colombo will be the venue for the first semifinal and the final only if Pakistan qualify for those stages.”

Bengaluru, where the tournament will start with India playing in the opening match, will host the final on November 2 if Pakistan are knocked out earlier in the tournament, the ICC added.

Bengaluru will also stage the second semifinal on October 30, a day after the first semifinal in Colombo or Guwahati. Visakhapatnam and Indore are the two other host cities for the eight-team tournament.

India played all their matches in Dubai when Pakistan hosted the men’s Champions Trophy this year, including the final which they won.

Both the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Pakistan Super League were suspended last month amid clashes between the two countries following an attack targeting tourists that killed 26 people in disputed Kashmir region in April. Matches resumed after a ceasefire was announced.

The neutral venue arrangement between the countries will also be in place for the men’s T20 World Cup in 2026, which India will co-host with Sri Lanka, and the women’s T20 World Cup in 2028 in Pakistan.