ISLAMABAD: Four hundred and seventy-six Hajj assistants or “Moavineen” have arrived in Saudi Arabia to assist pilgrims in the cities of Makkah and Madinah weeks before the annual Islamic pilgrimage begins, a Pakistan Hajj Mission official confirmed on Wednesday.
Pakistan selects hundreds of doctors and assistants each year to facilitate local pilgrims in Saudi Arabia during Hajj. These assistants provide Pakistani pilgrims with guidance regarding the pilgrimage, the holy sites in Makkah and Madinah as well as logistical support and medical aid if necessary.
Pakistan chose 550 individuals this year as volunteers to assist pilgrims during Hajj. In a first, candidates had to pass the National Testing Service (NTS) exam to qualify for the service.
“Five hundred and fifty support staff have been selected this year through the third-party NTS after conducting written and physical tests,” Pakistan’s director-general of Hajj, Abdul Wahab Soomro, told Arab News.
“Total 476 support staff have reached Saudi Arabia till date and out of these, 457 are performing duties in Makkah and the remaining 19 are presently posted in Madinah,” he added.
Soomro said 297 individuals have been assigned building management duties while 101 are responsible for transportation.
“Forty-five have been assigned food responsibilities, seven are in the mission’s control office, four are in the inspection cell, two are in the departure cell and one is in the lost and found cell in Makkah,” he said.
Soomro said the assistants’ deployment would be changed as per the requirements.
More than 41,000 Pakistani pilgrims have arrived in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah since May 9, Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs has confirmed.
The month-long pre-flight Hajj operation is expected to last till June 9.
Around 179,210 Pakistanis will perform Hajj under both the government and private schemes, with this year’s pilgrimage expected to run from June 14-19.

ISLAMABAD: More than 41,000 Pakistani Hajj pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia on 170 flights since the government started transporting people aspiring to perform the annual pilgrimage earlier this month, said a statement released by the religious affairs ministry on Thursday.
This year, the Pakistani Hajj Mission in the kingdom expects to host 70,105 people under the government scheme and more than 80,000 facilitated by private companies
“As of today, 41,477 government Hajj pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia on 170 flights,” the ministry said in its statement. “In the next ten days, an additional 28,628 government Hajj pilgrims will reach Makkah.”
It informed that more than 10,500 pilgrims had already arrived in the kingdom under the private Hajj scheme, adding that all pilgrims that first went to Madinah would reach Makkah by June 1.
“The Pak Hajj mobile app, two toll-free helplines, and four WhatsApp numbers are being used to address the complaints of Hajj pilgrims,” the ministry said.
“282 doctors and medical staff are providing medical facilities through two central hospitals and a dozen dispensaries,” it added.
It also said 454 food-related, 1,123 residential and 264 transport complaints had been resolved by the mission in the last 20 days.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and requires every adult Muslim to undertake the journey to the holy Islamic sites in Makkah at least once in their lifetime, if they are financially and physically able.
Pakistan began its Hajj flight operation on May 9, which will continue till June 9.
This year’s pilgrimage is expected to run from June 14 till June 19.