CM proposes starting ‘Road to Makkah’ facility at Sukkur

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday held separate meetings with Rana Mashhood, chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, and the federal minister for religious affairs to discuss matters relevant to their domains.

The meeting, held at CM House, was attended by several senior officials, including the secretary to the chief minister, Rahim Sheikh, and Secretary Transport Aleem Lashari. Chief Minister Shah in his meeting with Rana Mashhood decided to strengthen coordination between the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme and the Sindh Sports and Youth Affairs Department.

During the meeting, they agreed that through this collaboration, youth from Sindh would have the opportunity to travel to different countries for employment, educational exchanges, and exposure visits.

Shah emphasised the urgent need to empower and uplift the youth of Sindh. He stressed the importance of providing better job opportunities and international exposure through visits and exchanges under the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme.

Mashhood briefed the CM on the newly launched Digital Youth Hub, an initiative designed to connect youth with employment opportunities in both the public and private sectors. He shared the vision of sending skilled Pakistani youth abroad for work and highlighted the global demand for trained professionals from Pakistan.

CM Shah reiterated that the Sindh government is placing special emphasis on technical education, aiming to equip youth with practical skills to enable them to secure job opportunities in various countries. Both parties agreed to enhance coordination between the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme and the Sindh Sports and Youth Affairs Department, facilitating international employment and educational opportunities for youth in Sindh. CM Shah also met with Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf and discussed matters related to the Haj quota and administrative arrangements.

The meeting was also attended by Sindh Minister for Zakat, Ushr and Religious Affairs Riaz Shah Sheerazi, along with relevant secretaries. During the meeting, the CM and the federal minister discussed matters related to the Haj quota, administrative arrangements with the federal minister and starting Haj flights from Sukkur.

Federal Minister Sardar Yousaf said the official Haj expenses for this year have been fixed at Rs1,050,000. He added that 90,000 pilgrims from Pakistan will perform Haj under the government scheme this year, while another 90,000 quota was initially allocated for private Haj operators, which could not materialise in letter and spirit due to the change of system by the Saudi authorities.

However, due to changes introduced by the Saudi government in the private Haj system, only about 23,000 people will now be able to perform Haj through private operators this year. The maximum fee for the Haj under the private scheme has been capped at Rs3 million, the CM was told.

Shah also proposed starting the “Road to Makkah” initiative or Haj flights from Sukkur. Responding positively, the federal minister assured the CM that Haj flights from Sukkur and other cities of Pakistan will be included in next year’s Haj plan.