Security concerns: Pilgrims barred from road travel to Iraq, Iran

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday said that pilgrims [Zaireen] from Pakistan would not be allowed to use land route for travelling to Iraq and Iran this year, as he cited security concerns as the reason for taking the “difficult decision”.

The government has taken this decision in connection with Arbaeen — an event in which hundreds of thousands of people gather in Karbala, Iraq, to mark the end of 40-day mourning of the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA).

But the security issues forced the interior minister to announce that “it has been decided that Zaireen will not be allowed to travel to Iraq and Iran by road for Arbaeen this year”.

Naqvi said the decision was a result of “extensive consultations” with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Balochistan government and security agencies.

To explain the reasoning behind the move, he said, “This difficult decision was taken in the interest of public safety and national security.”

CHINESE NATIONALS

However, there is no total ban, as the pilgrims are allowed to travel by air.

That’s why Naqvi said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to arrange maximum flights to facilitate their pilgrimage in the coming days.

Earlier in the day, the interior minister met the prime minister to review the pilgrim policy and security situation in Balochistan.

After being briefed by Naqvi, Shehbaz the aviation minister to arrange special flights for the pilgrims intending to travel to Iraq and Iran.

Balochistan has been witnessing a rise in attacks on buses as the terrorists are targeting the people from other of Pakistan as well as the repeated attacks Chinese nationals and interests.

That’s why the prime minister recently said providing security to the Chinese nationals in Pakistan was the top priority of the government.

“We are developing a safe and business-friendly environment for the Chinese community,” said the prime minister who was chairing a meeting to review security arrangements for the people from China currently residing in Pakistan.