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Hajj expenses to be collected in dollars next year: minister

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  • Minister says 160,000 Pakistani pilgrims performed Hajj this year.
  • Saudi govt made excellent arrangements for pilgrims, says minister.
  • President Alvi’s Hajj had nothing to do with ministry: minister.

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Religious Affairs Talha Mahmood has announced that all expenses of Hajj will be collected in US dollars from next year, The News reported Monday.

Furthermore, addressing a post-Hajj press conference, Mahmood congratulated the 160,000 Pakistani pilgrims on performing Hajj.

Praising the efforts of Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, he also said no untoward incident was reported during Hajj this year in Jamarat, the place where people pelt stones. 

Most of the pilgrims seemed satisfied with the arrangements, he noted.

Moreover, during the presser, Mahmood said he had brought the Hajj quota to over 179,000 for the next year. 

“However, Haji expenses will be collected in US dollars not in Pakistani rupees,” he said.

The minister said the Saudi government made excellent arrangements on the occasion of Hajj, and he himself visited hotels of Pakistani haajis (pilgrims). 

The Pakistani mission provided maximum assistance to Pakistanis during Hajj, he said.

Senator Mehmood added that he was offered to perform Hajj as a guest of the state, but he preferred to perform Hajj as a “common man”. 

He had discussed the problems of Hajj pilgrims with the Saudi minister, who assured him of solving the problems in the future.

The religious minister said he did not allow anyone to perform free-of-cost Hajj and will not allow it in the future. 

He said he had paid his Hajj expenses as a minister, remained with other Pakistani Haajis, and performed Hajj.

While answering a question, Mahmood said he had no knowledge of how many people performed Hajj with President Arif Alvi as the president’s Hajj had nothing to do with his ministry.

Business

In interbank trade, the Pakistani rupee modestly appreciates versus the US dollar.

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In the interbank market, the Pakistani Rupee increased by 0.03% against the US dollar during Monday’s early trading session.

The rupee strengthened by 8 paise against the dollar, reaching 278.48 as of 10:10 a.m. By ending at 278.56, the rupee had lost 9 paise the day before.

Globally, Monday saw a minor decline in the US dollar, but it was still close to its two-year high. In order to obtain additional understanding of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate strategy, traders are anticipating US economic data, namely the December non-farm payrolls report.

The Chinese yuan also garnered notice when, following a strong defense by the People’s Bank of China in December, it dropped below the psychological level of 7.3 per dollar for the first time in 14 months.

Last spotted, the offshore yuan increased by 0.15% to 7.3487 per US dollar, while the onshore yuan fell by 0.05% to 7.3252 per US dollar.

The speeches that various Federal Reserve policymakers are scheduled to give this week, in which they are anticipated to restate their positions on inflation and the continuous fight against price increases, are also attracting market attention.

Expectations of fewer interest rate reduction from the Fed have helped the US dollar gain strength, and last week it reached a two-year high. Meanwhile, the euro fell to its lowest level in more than two years.

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Drugs worth $1 million are seized by the Pakistan Navy in the North Arabian Sea.

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Pakistan Navy Ship PNS MOAWIN, according to ISPR, used naval air assets to perform a boarding operation on a suspicious boat and confiscate the drugs that were concealed in the ship’s hidden compartments.

An estimated one million US dollars is the international market value of the narcotics that were seized.

International shipping lanes were being used to deliver this shipment of drugs.

Within the region’s maritime borders, the Pakistan Navy is always engaged in stopping all types of illicit activity, ISPR continued.

A spokesperson for the ANF Headquarters stated that earlier, during seven operations, another security unit of the nation’s anti-narcotics unit (ANF) seized more than 149 kg of drugs valued at more than Rs 40 million and detained four drug dealers.

He reported that 30 capsules containing heroin had been found in the stomach of a traveler at Peshawar International Airport who was headed to Jeddah.

Another operation resulted in the arrest of a suspect after 31 inebriated tablets were found in a package close to an Islamabad park.

150 grams of ice were found in a package that was shipped to Australia via a Karachi courier service.

90 kilograms of opium and 10 kg of heroin that had been concealed for smuggling were found during an operation in the Balochistani district of Chagai.

In the fifth operation, 45 kg of hashish was found in an uninhabited part of Balochistan’s Coastal Line Pasni. Three kilograms of hashish were found in Hyderabad on a suspect.

During the seventh operation, 500 grams of ice and 1 kilogram of heroin were found in the custody of a biker who was stopped close to the Iqbal Shaheed Toll Plaza Attock.

Additional investigations are underway, and cases have been filed under the Narcotics Control Act against the arrested suspect.

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Outsourcing of Airports: Deputy Prime Minister Commits to Transforming Aviation into a Profitable Sector

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Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has instructed the implementation of all feasible measures to render aviation a viable industry and to enhance service quality for travelers.

He provided these directives while presiding over a meeting in Islamabad concerning the outsourcing of airports and the advancement of the aviation sector.

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