Following the recent visit of the Pakistani Foreign Minister to Iran and consultations between the two countries on facilitating public travel, including the development of religious tourism for Pakistanis to the Holy Land in Iran, there are now rumors of a new draft policy of the Islamabad-Tehran government called the Pilgrim Management Policy. .
Shah Mahmoud Qureshi paid an official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran on May 1, where he signed a memorandum of understanding to establish joint border markets with his Iranian counterpart, and the determination of the Imran Khan government to expand cooperation with Iran, especially in the field of tourism. Religious emphasized.
He also praised the trip to Mashhad and meeting with the governor of Khorasan Razavi and the patron saint of Astan Quds Razavi for the good hospitality of Pakistani pilgrims and added: “The government of Islamabad has set a new policy for managing pilgrimages to Iran, Iraq and Syria.” And after its approval by the members of the Cabinet, will share it with the mentioned countries.
During his visit to Iraq and meeting with Iraqi officials, Qureshi said that the purpose of implementing the new policy of managing pilgrims is to facilitate pilgrimages and try to strengthen religious tourism with countries in the region.
Pakistan contacts Iran on approval of new draft policy
Meanwhile, the Pakistani newspaper Nation reported on Tuesday, citing credible government sources, that the pilgrimage management policy had been approved by the Pakistani cabinet and that the country had submitted a draft to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Senior officials from Pakistan’s foreign and religious ministries recently consulted with their counterparts in Iran, as well as in Iraq and Syria, and subsequently a draft agreement based on the new policy of the Islamabad government was sent to these countries, the report said.
“After reviewing and agreeing with the governments of Iran, Iraq and Syria, a new agreement will be signed between Pakistan and the three countries,” the Nation newspaper wrote.
The Pakistani government has decided to establish consulates in Najaf, Ashraf and Karbala, as well as two consulates in Mashhad and Zahedan, in addition to its embassy in Tehran.
According to the policy approved by the Cabinet of Pakistan, all travel agencies and pilgrimage tours must be registered with the Ministry of Religious Affairs and obtain the permission of the travel company to send pilgrims to Iran, Iraq and Syria.
The Pakistani government’s new pilgrimage management policy also calls for the launch of a shipping line from the port of Karachi and Gwadar to Iran and Iraq.
It is said that the drafting of instructions for the implementation of this plan between the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and other relevant institutions in Islamabad has been completed, and at the same time the governments of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Iraq have expressed their willingness to cooperate with Pakistan.
Informed sources said that due to some security concerns on land routes in Balochistan province to the zero point of the border with Iran, road travel will be gradually reduced and passengers will be transferred from Pakistan to use the shipping area, which is cost-effective and safe. It’s more.
It should be noted that apart from the consequences of the outbreak of coronavirus in the region and the world, which like other countries has affected the field of tourism, especially pilgrimages between two friendly and neighboring countries Iran and Pakistan, hundreds of Pakistanis travel to Iran every year.
