Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif established on Thursday a committee to oversee the safe return of pilgrims travelling from Iran and Iraq, following a series of tragic accidents that claimed multiple lives.
The Federal Secretary for Religious Affairs has been appointed as the head of the committee, which will also explore the option of bringing pilgrims back by sea.
The decision to form the committee comes in response to heightened security concerns surrounding the return of Pakistani pilgrims from the neighboring countries. The Cabinet Division, following the Prime Minister’s approval, issued a notification formalizing the committee’s formation.
The committee will be chaired by the Secretary of Religious Affairs, with the Secretary of Maritime Affairs and Chief Secretaries of all provinces serving as its members.
Additionally, the Secretary of the Interior will act as the co-chairman of the committee. According to the notification, the Ministry of Religious Affairs will provide administrative support, and the committee is mandated to submit its findings directly to the Prime Minister.
This development follows two devastating bus accidents involving Pakistani pilgrims in Iran over the past fortnight. In the most recent incident, a bus carrying 53 pilgrims from Iran to Iraq met with a severe accident in the city of Yazd, Iran, resulting in the deaths of 28 individuals.
In a separate incident, a bus collided with a truck on the main road between Nerez in Fars province and Sarjan in Kerman province, leaving three dead and 48 injured.
