Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain arrived Wednesday evening in Madinah to perform Haj. He was received by Prince Faisal Bin Salman, Emir of Madinah, at Prince Muhammad Bin Abdul Aziz International Airport. — SPA photo. Hassan Cheruppa Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — All pilgrims who came under the government schemes from India and Pakistan will get to use the Mashair train facility for this Haj while some pilgrims from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will also be able to use the facility. Speaking to Saudi Gazette, consuls general and Haj consuls of these four countries said on Thursday that this year their Haj operation is smooth and peaceful and the 20 percent cut in quota announced by the Saudi authorities after making all the preparations was a blessing in disguise with regard to further improving the services. There were no major incidents or complaints reported so far. Several leaders and prominent figures from these countries are also performing Haj and they include Pakistan's President Mamnoon Hussain, Minister of Religious Affairs Sardar Mohammed Yousef, India's Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad and Bangladesh Supreme Court Chief Justice Md. Muzammel Hossain. There are also pilgrims who arrived as guests of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and some ministries. All Indian pilgrims who came under the country's Central Haj Committee will get access to Mashair train facility, according to Indian Consul General Faiz Ahmed Kidwai. “We are extremely thankful to the Saudi Ministry of Haj and the South Asian Tawafa Organization for agreeing to our demand. We are now awaiting train tickets for the pilgrims,” he said. Kidwai said all preparations are on track for the movement of pilgrims to Mina on Saturday evening. He said the Indian mission's Haj operation plan is moving smoothly and there were no incidents or major complaints reported so far.
Indian Haj Consul Sheikh Muhammad Noor Rahman said that there are 34 maktabs (offices of mutawwif) for Indians pilgrims. “All pilgrims under 20 maktabs will use Mashair station No. 2 while the remaining pilgrims will use station No. 1.” He said that a total of 136,020 Indian pilgrims are performing Haj this year, including 121,420 traveling under the Haj committee and 14,600 under private groups. A Saudi Arabian Airlines plane, carrying 266 pilgrims, from Jaipur landed at Jeddah Haj Terminal on Wednesday and this was the last group of Indian pilgrims. A total of 61,000 pilgrims arrived in Jeddah and 60,800 in Madinah. Those pilgrims who arrived in Jeddah will visit Madinah only after Haj. Rahman said that so far 51 Indian pilgrims died, of these 50 died of natural causes. According to the consul, Indian Hajis will get tents at three locations in Mina. One is at Souk Al-Arab and Al-Jawhara Street area near Jamarat. The other two areas are near New Mina Hospital Street, and Royal Palace Street (King Abdul Aziz Street). “Pilgrims under 18 maktabs will stay back in Mina on Dhul Hijja 12 and leave Mina only after the stoning ritual at Jamarat the following afternoon. If more pilgrims want to stay back, we will provide them transportation and other required facilities,” he said, adding that notices were placed at the residential buildings of pilgrims to inform them about the arrangements in this regard. Saudi authorities had directed earlier that a sizable number of pilgrims should stay back in Mina on Dhul Hijja 12, and this directive could be part of measures to avoid overcrowding in the Grand Mosque in the wake of space constraints due to the expansion of the mataf (area for circumambulation around Holy Kaaba). All our arrangements are well in place for the Haj said Pakistan's Consul General Aftab Ahmed Khokhar. “The overall condition of pilgrims is satisfactory in general and there were only very few complaints with the regard to the facilities and services, including transportation and accommodation,” he said. Syed Abu Akif, director general of the Pakistan Haj Mission, said that with the arrival of the last flight on Thursday, a total of 143,368 Pakistani Haj pilgrims have come, of which 85,696 are in the government scheme and the remaining 57,672 under 730 Haj group operators (HGOs). A total of 178 flight services were operated to Jeddah and Madinah from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Sukkur, Sialkot, Quetta, Multan and Faisalabad. He said Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain arrived in Madinah to visit the Prophet's Mosque. A total of 25 pilgrims died as of Thursday and no cases of accident deaths or injuries have been reported. About 83,455 pilgrims received treatment at outpatient clinics. Out of the 348 pilgrims admitted to the Haj mission hospitals, 304 were discharged. “There are a total of 1,738 welfare staff, including 471-member medical mission, 696 local volunteers, 301 Haj assistants, and 270 seasonal staffers to serve the pilgrims. We have received only around 1,300 complaints and this was much lower compared to previous years,” he said. Md. Nazmul Islam, consul general of Bangladesh, said that his country's Haj operation is smooth and peaceful. “There have been no major problems and complaints reported so far,” said Nazmul, who has been serving as the consul general since 2010. A total of 90,000 Bangladeshi pilgrims arrived this year, of which Biman transported half while the rest was carried by Saudia. A total of 25 pilgrims died and all had natural deaths. “For the first time, we have arranged a separate building for healthcare of pilgrims. There is a 15-bed hospital in Makkah and a five-bed facility in Madinah. There are over 600 staffers and seasonal workers to serve the pilgrims, and they included 70 doctors and 20 nurses,” he added. Sri Lanka Consul General Dr. Adambawa Uthumalebbe said a total of 2,400 pilgrims have arrived to perform Haj this year. The last flight carrying 200 pilgrims arrived in Jeddah on Thursday. There were no cases of death or accident injuries reported so far. There are no pilgrims in hospitals now. Sri Lanka pilgrims are under 15 muallims this time. He noted that in Sri Lanka the Haj tour operation is managed by the private sector. The country's Muslim Cultural Department divides the Haj quota among the licensed operators. The government makes available the required facilities for them. “Our duty is only to oversee them and prevent any exploitation. The Consulate staff handles it very well,” he added.
