ISLAMABAD: Nasir Abbas Shirazi, a central leader of Majlis Wahdat Muslimeen (MWM), has strongly condemned the Pakistani government’s decision to prohibit road travel for pilgrims heading to Iran and Iraq for Arbaeen, calling it a violation of constitutional and religious freedoms.
Shirazi said the move strips citizens of their basic rights: “This decision is a direct attack on our constitutional and religious liberties. Despite facing difficult circumstances in the past, millions of pilgrims have journeyed through these very routes to visit the shrine of Imam Hussain (AS). We had hoped that following the recent trilateral meeting, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi would announce relief measures for the pilgrims. Instead, the government has furthered the agenda of the US and Israel by imposing this ban.”
Calling the restriction unacceptable, Shirazi added: “We reject this decision entirely. Most pilgrims belong to working-class and low-income families. They spend years saving to fulfill their dream of visiting Karbala. Denying them this opportunity is deeply unjust.”
Refuting the justification of security concerns, he questioned the state’s capacity: “If there is a threat in Balochistan, is the state so fragile that it cannot even ensure the deployment of a Station House Officer (SHO)? Failure to provide secure passage reflects not a lapse in security, but a breakdown of the state itself.”
Shirazi proposed alternative options for the pilgrims: “The government should have arranged free ferry services or sea routes alongside the land routes. The lack of such arrangements shows that this decision is part of a deliberate attempt to weaken people’s spiritual connection with Karbala.”
He further criticized the government’s reliance on air travel, stating, “There are neither sufficient flights available nor do ordinary people have the means to afford airfare. Air travel is not a practical solution for the masses. This ban is clearly intended to prevent people from performing their pilgrimage—something we will never accept.”
It is worth noting that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had earlier announced via social media that, due to security threats, pilgrims would only be allowed to travel by air for Arbaeen this year, and all road travel had been banned.
