ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will arrange special flights and coordinate with airlines to provide discounted tickets to Shia pilgrims traveling to Iraq for the Arbaeen pilgrimage, State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry on Friday, following the closure of land route.
Thousands of Pakistanis travel to Iran and Iraq annually to visit religious sites, including observing Arbaeen (Arabic for “forty”), a significant religious occasion in Shia Islam that marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussain, who was “martyred” in the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD.
Islamabad last month suspended road travel to Iran and Iraq for the Arbaeen pilgrimage this year, citing public safety and national security concerns. Pakistanis traveling to the countries via road have often been targeted in sectarian attacks by armed groups in the country’s restive Balochistan province, which shares border with Iran.
The decision led to a protest by Shia religious and political parties, prompting Chaudhry to arrive in the southern port city of Karachi to hold hours-long negotiations with the protest leaders to defuse the crisis by facilitating pilgrims with discounted travel and payment refunds.
“For those whose Iraqi visas have already been issued and who wish to travel overland, the government will coordinate with airlines to provide discounted tickets,” the state minister told reporters.
