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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Friday downplayed his earlier remarks about “40,000 missing pilgrims” in the Middle East, saying the number reflected outdated travel records, not mass disappearances, amid growing scrutiny of undocumented religious travelers in the region.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.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani federal government is targeting students and unemployed individuals in a major scheme to promote the use of electric vehicles, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Friday, saying the move will save billions of dollars in fuel imports, help protect environment and promote local industry.

The prime minister said this while presiding over a meeting in Islamabad to review promotion of electric vehicles in the country and the government assistance in acquisition of electric bikes, rickshaws and loaders, according to Sharif’s office.

The proposed scheme comes amid the cash-strapped South Asian country’s efforts to avoid costly oil imports that shrank five percent to $15 billion from July 2024 till May 2025, according to latest official figures. Islamabad is currently trying to formulate a plan to make electric vehicles accessible to people.

Officials briefed participants of Friday’s meeting that steps were being taken to enable people to acquire electric bikes, rickshaws and loaders through low-cost loans and the government will assist provision of more than 100,000 electric bikes and 3,000 rickshaws and loading vehicles.

“The federal government, including the federal board, will provide electric bikes to the toppers of boards across the country,” Sharif was quoted as saying. “The government will provide electric rickshaws and loaders to unemployed people for employment on a priority basis.”

Under the scheme, which is likely to be launched soon, free electric bikes will be provided to students who have shown exceptional performance at the intermediate level in educational boards across the country, according to Sharif’s office. A special quota of 25 percent has been kept for women, while the quota of provinces has been allocated in proportion to the population.

Pakistan last month unveiled a new Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy 2025–2030, which targets 30 percent of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030. The policy, which covers cars, buses, motorcycles and rickshaws, aims to accelerate the country’s shift toward sustainable transport, reduce fossil fuel dependence, and curb climate-warming emissions.

Sharif instructed officials to ensure a complete ecosystem for the production and maintenance of electric vehicles in the country, preferring people belonging to the economically weaker section in the government’s scheme.

“Third-party validation should be done for the entire mechanism of distribution of electric vehicles and government assistance in it,” he said.

Officials informed the meeting’s participants that four new battery manufacturing companies are starting their operations in the country, which will create new business opportunities and employment in Pakistan.

“The prime minister instructed [officials] to ensure that the electric bikes, rickshaws and loaders provided in the proposed scheme meet the best quality and safety standards,” Sharif’s office said.