THE Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), responding to the re
quests by Muslim countries including Pakistan, has reviewed its visa policy eliminating the fee of 2000 Riyals for those repeating the pilgrimage during a period of three years. This is part of the recent restructuring of visa system for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims as well as for visitors and transit passengers by Saudi Cabinet.
This is surely a major relief for Umrah-seekers and that is why not only Prime Minister Imran Khan and Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noorul Haq Qadri but all segments of Pakistani society have widely hailed it. The level of impact and relief can be gauged by the fact that every year 1.6 million Pakistanis perform Umrah and the number is likely to exceed the mark of two million after waiver of the fee. It is encouraging that the Kingdom has been responding favourably to woes and concerns of Muslims across the globe and takes every possible measure to facilitate them in the performance of Umrah and Hajj. It is investing huge amounts on expansion of Harmain Sharifain and provision of facilities to visitors during their stay in the two holy cities. The latest gesture of King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman would help bring down the cost of the Saudi visit by Umrah seekers significantly.
