Saudi Arabia to impose heavy fine on firms failing to report pilgrims overstaying
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior has warned Hajj and Umrah service providers to strictly comply with regulations or face hefty financial penalties for failing to report overstaying pilgrims.
The ministry stated that companies and establishments serving pilgrims must inform authorities immediately if individuals exceed their permitted stay in the Kingdom.
'Financial penalties will be imposed on any company or establishment serving pilgrims and Umrah performers that delays reporting individuals who remain in the Kingdom beyond their authorized stay,' the ministry said, according to the Saudi Press Agency on Monday.
Penalties may reach up to SR100,000 ($26,600) and will be multiplied based on the number of violators.
The warning comes as authorities prepare for the upcoming Hajj season and continue to tighten oversight to prevent crowding and ensure order during religious events.
Meanwhile, Matarat Holding Co reported that over 6.8 million passengers and Umrah performers travelled through four Saudi airports between the first of Ramadan and the seventh of Shawwal.
The airports included King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah, Prince Abdulmohsen bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Yanbu, and Taif International Airport.
International passengers accounted for more than 4.6 million of the total, while 2.1 million travelled on domestic flights. Saudi authorities have repeatedly called for strict compliance with pilgrimage regulations to ensure the safety and organisation of both Hajj and Umrah.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Energy-starved Pakistan's solar rush
Solar panels are now seen installed on the rooftops of houses across the country. Photo: AFP Pakistanis are increasingly ditching the national grid in favour of solar power, prompting a boom in rooftop panels and spooking a government weighed down by billions of dollars of power sector debt. The quiet energy revolution has spread from wealthy neighbourhoods to middle- and lower-income households as customers look to escape soaring electricity bills and prolonged power cuts. Down a cramped alley in Karachi, residents fighting the sweltering summer heat gather in Fareeda Saleem's modest home for something they never experienced before — uninterrupted power. "Solar makes life easier, but it's a hard choice for people like us," she says of the installation cost. Saleem was cut from the grid last year for refusing to pay her bills in protest over enduring 18-hour power cuts. A widow and mother of two disabled children, she sold her jewellery — a prized possession for women in Pakistan — and borrowed money from relatives to buy two solar panels, a solar inverter and battery to store energy, for Rs180,000. As temperatures pass 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), children duck under Saleem's door and gather around the breeze of her fan. Mounted on poles above homes, solar panels have become a common sight across the country of 240 million people, with the installation cost typically recovered within two to five years. Making up less than two percent of the energy mix in 2020, solar power reached 10.3 percent in 2024, according to the global energy think tank Ember. But in a remarkable acceleration, it more than doubled to 2 4 percent in the first five months of 2025, becoming the largest source of energy production for the first time. It has edged past gas, coal and nuclear electricity sources, as well as hydropower which has seen hundreds of millions of dollars of investment over the past decades. As a result, Pakistan has unexpectedly surged towards its target of renewable energy, making up 60 percent of its energy mix by 2030. Dave Jones, chief analyst at Ember, told AFP that Pakistan was "a leader in rooftop solar". Soaring fuel costs globally, coupled with demands from the International Monetary Fund to slash government subsidies, led successive administrations to repeatedly hike electricity costs. Prices have fluctuated since 2022 but peaked at a 155-percent increase and power bills sometimes outweigh the cost of rent. "The great solar rush is not the result of any government's policy push," Muhammad Basit Ghauri, an energy transition expert at Renewables First, told AFP. "Residents have taken the decision out of clear frustration over our classical power system, which is essentially based on a lot of inefficiencies." Pakistan sources most of its solar equipment from neighbouring China, where prices have dropped sharply, largely driven by overproduction and tech advancements. But the fall in national grid consumers has crept up on an unprepared government burdened by $8 billion of power sector debt, analysts say. Pakistan depends heavily on costly gas imports, which it sells at a loss to national energy providers. It is also tied into lengthy contracts with independent power producers, including some owned by China, for which it pays a fixed amount regardless of actual demand. A government report in March said the solar power increase has created a "disproportionate financial burden onto grid consumers, contributing to higher electricity tariffs and undermining the sustainability of the energy sector". Electricity sales dropped 2.8 percent year-on-year in June, marking a second consecutive year of decline. Last month, the government imposed a new 10-percent tax on all imported solar, while the energy ministry has proposed slashing the rate at which it buys excess solar energy from consumers. "The household solar boom was a response to a crisis, not the cause of it," said analyst Jones, warning of "substantial problems for the grid" including a surge during evenings when solar users who cannot store energy return to traditional power. The national grid is losing paying customers like businessman Arsalan Arif. A third of his income was spent on electricity bills at his Karachi home until he bought a 10-kilowatt solar panel for around 1.4 million rupees (around $4,900). "Before, I didn't follow a timetable. I was always disrupted by the power outages," he told AFP. Now he has "freedom and certainty" to continue his catering business. In the eastern city of Sialkot, safety wear manufacturer Hammad Noor switched to solar power in 2023, calling it his "best business decision", breaking even in 18 months and now saving 1 million rupees every month. The cost of converting Noor's second factory has now risen by nearly 1.5 million rupees under the new government tax.
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Business Recorder
Various sectors: President invites Saudi investors
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari highlighted Pakistan's investor-friendly policies and invited Saudi investors to explore investment opportunities in various sectors of the Pakistani economy. The president expressed these views in a meeting with Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki who called on President Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Friday. During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of trade, economy, and culture. The meeting was also attended by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Welcoming the ambassador, President Zardari said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoyed deep-rooted and historic relations based on shared faith and mutual trust. He emphasised the need to further expand these ties for the mutual benefit of the two brotherly nations. The president highlighted Pakistan's investor-friendly policies and invited Saudi investors to explore investment opportunities in various sectors of the Pakistani economy. He noted that both countries share common views on regional and international issues and support each other at multilateral fora. President Zardari expressed gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its support to Pakistan in times of need. He also asked the ambassador to convey his warm greetings and best wishes to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Business Recorder
OPEC+ panel likely to keep oil policy steady on Monday
LONDON/MOSCOW: An OPEC+ panel is unlikely to alter existing plans to raise oil output when it meets on Monday, four OPEC+ delegates said, noting the producer group is keen to recover market share while summer demand is helping to absorb the extra barrels. The meeting of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC), which includes top ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies led by Russia, is scheduled for 1200 GMT on Monday. Four OPEC+ sources told Reuters the meeting is unlikely to alter the group's existing policy, which calls for eight members to raise output by 548,000 barrels per day in August. Another source said it was too early to say. OPEC and the Saudi government communications office did not respond to a request for comment. OPEC+, which pumps about half of the world's oil, has been curtailing production for several years to support the market. But it reversed course this year to regain market share, and as U.S. President Donald Trump demanded OPEC pump more to help keep a lid on gasoline prices. The eight OPEC+ producers hold a separate meeting on August 3 and remain likely to agree to a further 548,000 bpd increase for September, three of the sources said, as reported by Reuters earlier this month. OPEC trims oil demand for next four years This would mean that, by September, OPEC+ will have unwound their most recent production cut of 2.2 million bpd, and the United Arab Emirates will have delivered a 300,000 bpd quota increase ahead of schedule. The JMMC meets every two months and can recommend changes to OPEC+ output policy. Oil prices have remained supported despite the OPEC+ increases thanks to summer demand and the fact that some members have not raised production as much as the headline quota hikes have called for. Brent crude was trading close to $70 a barrel on Friday.
