In a major breakthrough, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) and the Shia Ulema Council have called off their planned march from Karachi’s Ancholi to the Pakistan-Iran border following successful talks with the federal government.
The consensus on a seven-point agreement was reached during a high-level meeting in Karachi where Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, and MWM leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas Jafri addressed the joint press conference.
Addressing the press conference after late-night talks facilitated by Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, the minister said the government and the MWM leadership had agreed on a seven-point understanding.
He thanked the MWM leadership for ending its protest march, saying that the Taftan border had not been closed nor would be shut in future for pilgrims.
Talal Chaudhry said that visa extensions of up to 60 days would be facilitated in coordination with Iraqi authorities. He also announced that discounted flights would be arranged for those still intending to travel.
The government has committed to ensuring refunds for payments made to tour operators, bus services, and transport companies by pilgrims who had booked overland travel.
While advising against land travel this year for security reasons, the minister said the Taftan-Rimdan border would remain open.
Also speaking at the press conference, MWM Vice Chairman Allama Ahmed Iqbal Rizvi thanked the state minister and governor for playing a positive role and realising the difficulties the land travel ban was causing to the pilgrims.
He announced the end of the Arbaeen protest march, saying that they would monitor progress on the understanding reached with the government.
He thanked the governor for facilitating the talks and said the governor would be the guarantor for the MWM.
He demanded that the federal government should provide concessionary air tickets to pilgrims who had already obtained a visa for the pilgrimage. The governor said all had agreed that now there would be talks, no protest march.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had earlier announced that Pakistani pilgrims would not be allowed to travel to Iran or Iraq by road for this year’s Arbaeen pilgrimage due to security concerns.
Each year, around 700,000 Pakistani pilgrims travel to Iraq, particularly for Arbaeen, which marks the 40th day of mourning following the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) at the Battle of Karbala.
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The Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) has announced a nationwide peaceful protest and sit-ins in response to the government’s ban on by-road travel for Arbaeen pilgrims, calling it unconstitutional, unethical, and unacceptable.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, MWM chief Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas strongly condemned the government’s move to block overland routes to Iran and Iraq during Arbaeen.
He said: “This is a violation of our constitutional right to religious freedom under Article 20. We will not accept any illegal or immoral act.”
Nasir revealed that pilgrims from across Pakistan — including Gilgit-Baltistan and Karachi — had already spent Rs50 billion collectively on tickets, visas, hotel bookings, and other arrangements, which now stand wasted due to the last-minute decision.
He criticised the Ministry of Religious Affairs for its statement on missing pilgrims and demanded a public apology, calling the claim misleading and disrespectful.
“This ban was imposed without consulting any stakeholders,” he said, questioning the rationale behind labelling the journey a “security risk” only after Pakistani authorities, including the interior minister, held meetings with Iranian and Iraqi officials promising facilitation.
“If the road is unsafe, then the government must provide a viable alternative,” he stated. “The state’s duty is to protect lives and rights, not strip citizens of their religious liberties.”
He also reminded the media that earlier this year, 67,000 Pakistanis were deprived of performing Hajj due to alleged administrative failures.
