
21 dead in Iran as coach overturns: state media
The accident, the cause of which remains unclear, occurred near Kavar, a town about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from the capital, Tehran.
'Unfortunately, 21 deaths have been recorded,' Kavar Hospital director Mohsen Afrasiabi told state television, adding that 29 people were injured.
Iranian media showed images of a coach lying on its side on a mountain road.
Iran has a poor road safety record, with nearly 20,000 deaths from traffic accidents in the 12 months to March, according to official news agency IRNA.
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Arab News
15 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan suspends road travel to Iran, Iraq citing security concerns
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced on Sunday that the government will not allow pilgrims to travel to Iran and Iraq by road for the Arbaeen pilgrimage this year, citing public safety and national security concerns for the ban. Thousands of Pakistani citizens visit Iran and Iraq annually for religious tourism and to visit religious sites, including observing Arbaeen (Arabic for 'forty'), a significant religious occasion in Shia Islam. It marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussain, who was 'martyred' in the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD. Travelers to Iran and Iraq by road have often been targeted in sectarian attacks by armed groups in Pakistan's restive southwestern Balochistan province, which shares a border with Iran. Islamabad's decision comes in the wake of a rise in militant attacks in the province by ethnic Baloch militant groups, who demand a greater share of the province's mineral resources from Islamabad. 'After extensive consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Balochistan Government, and security agencies, it has been decided that Zaireen will not be allowed to travel to Iraq and Iran by road for Arbaeen this year,' Naqvi wrote on X. After extensive consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Balochistan Government, and security agencies, it has been decided that Zaireen will not be allowed to travel to Iraq and Iran by road for Arbaeen this year. This difficult decision was taken in the interest of… — Mohsin Naqvi (@MohsinnaqviC42) July 27, 2025 The interior minister said this 'difficult decision' was taken in the interest of public safety and national security. However, he said Shia pilgrims will be allowed to travel by air to Iran and Iraq. 'Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to arrange maximum flights to facilitate their pilgrimage in the coming days,' he wrote. A Pakistani immigration official told Arab News earlier this month that Islamabad plans to overhaul its pilgrimage travel policy to Iraq, Iran and Syria after authorities confirmed around 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims went missing or overstayed in the three countries over the past decade. Pakistan's Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf revealed this month that 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims had either overstayed or gone missing in these countries without any official record of their whereabouts. In response, Pakistani authorities have scrapped the long-standing 'Salar system,' in which private group leaders managed travel logistics, and are introducing a new centralized, computerized structure to track and regulate pilgrim movement more effectively. Mustafa Jamal Kazi, Pakistan's director general of Immigration and Passports, said a new Ziyarat Management Policy has been finalized by the government under which pilgrims will only be allowed to travel in organized groups, and licensed tour operators will be held directly responsible for ensuring that all group members return to Pakistan before their visas expire. Any operator found violating the policy or failing to ensure the return of all pilgrims will have their license canceled.


Al Arabiya
19-07-2025
- Al Arabiya
21 dead in Iran as coach overturns: state media
At least 21 people were killed and nearly 30 injured when a coach overturned in southern Iran on Saturday, state media reported. The accident, the cause of which remains unclear, occurred near Kavar, a town about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from the capital, Tehran. 'Unfortunately, 21 deaths have been recorded,' Kavar Hospital director Mohsen Afrasiabi told state television, adding that 29 people were injured. Iranian media showed images of a coach lying on its side on a mountain road. Iran has a poor road safety record, with nearly 20,000 deaths from traffic accidents in the 12 months to March, according to official news agency IRNA.


Arab News
18-07-2025
- Arab News
Pakistan links 40,000 missing pilgrim figures in Middle East to outdated paper records
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's religious affairs minister, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, on Friday downplayed his earlier remarks about '40,000 missing pilgrims' in the Middle East, saying the number reflected outdated travel records, not mass disappearances, amid growing scrutiny of undocumented religious travelers in the region. The clarification follows media reports, citing official data, that around 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims to Iran, Iraq and Syria had either gone missing or overstayed in the past decade, prompting the government to draft a new pilgrimage monitoring policy and raise the issue with host countries. Each year, thousands of Pakistani Shia pilgrims travel to religious shrines in these countries, but host governments have repeatedly flagged the issue of undocumented or unreturned visitors. Speaking to Arab News a day earlier, Mustafa Jamal Kazi, Director General of Immigration and Passports, said most of the disappearances occurred in Iraq due to the lure of employment in its booming construction sector, and that the exploitation of religious tourism for begging was among the most common motives for absconding. He also confirmed the officially stated number of missing pilgrims, saying these people 'never returned during the last almost one decade.' 'My reference to 40,000 pilgrims was never intended to give the impression that thousands of Pakistanis are missing abroad,' the religious affairs minister said in a statement. 'The real issue is that older paper records have not yet been fully transferred to our central digital registry.' He said the religious affairs ministry had launched a modern digital portal where pilgrims and group organizers are issued QR-coded e-cards, allowing families and the government to access real-time travel data. 'This step will eliminate room for misunderstanding or propaganda, and ensure timely sharing of pilgrim data with officials in Iran, Iraq, and Syria,' the minister said, calling the move a key measure toward secure and accountable pilgrimage. Yousaf also appealed to tour operators and prospective pilgrims to register their information on the new system by August 31 to avoid being flagged as part of 'incomplete lists.' 'Our goal is to make every Pakistani's journey safe,' he said. 'Let's work together to show the world that our records are transparent and that Pakistan is using modern technology to ensure responsible oversight.' As part of broader reforms, the government has also abolished the traditional 'Salar system' — in which private group leaders managed logistics — and introduced a centralized framework under the new Ziyarat Management Policy, holding licensed organizers accountable for each pilgrim's return.