ISLAMABAD: The operational plan of the General Presidency of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque is being implemented by 7,720 teams to serve pilgrims during this year’s Hajj season, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Around 200,000 Pakistani pilgrims will perform Hajj this year where most of them have already reached Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan’s director general for Hajj mission, Dr. Sajid Yousfani, last week told Arab News that the mission is “getting full support and co-operation” from Saudi officials to facilitate Pakistani Hajj pilgrims.
To facilitate the Hajj Pilgrims Saudi General Directorate of Passports (GDP) has appointed a number of students who can also speak Urdu, Pakistan’s National Language, to assist the pilgrims.
According the SPA Saudi teams are providing their services in all aspects of the plan. These include service, engineering, technical, technological, cultural, information, social aspects and oversight functions.
The staff are carrying out awareness initiatives to guide the worshippers in religious and organizational aspects in order to help them perform their rituals with comfort.
The service aspect is one of the most important field tasks in the operational plan of the agency. Staff working on these tasks are responsible for cleaning the Prophet’s Mosque, supplying all sites with carpets and Zamzam water, cleaning machinery and equipment, transferring older persons and people with special needs, providing guidance services, preparing portable containers for distributing Zamzam bottles, and ensuring the cleanliness of prayer areas and other facilities.
Moreover, the staff responsible for service tasks open and guard the mosque’s doors, organize the movement of crowds as part of the initiative for clearing paths, maintain the security and safety of the mosque and its facilities, oversee parking areas, and allocate medical emergency sites and provide them with the necessary equipment.
For the 15th year in a row, the Youth of Makkah at Your Service program has maintained its role in serving pilgrims with the participation of 500 young men, who are undertaking activities during the season in partnership with several government bodies.
The acting director general of the Project for the Glorification of the Sacred City, Saud Al-Rehaili, said its activities aim to guide those who get lost inside the Grand Mosque and help older persons and those with special needs perform the Tawaf and Sai.
More than 7,000 teams to serve pilgrims during Hajj 2019
More than 7,000 teams to serve pilgrims during Hajj 2019
- 200,000 Pakistani pilgrims will perform Hajj this year
- Pakistan officials say they are getting full cooperation from Saudi authorities
Pakistan joins 22 Muslim states, OIC to condemn Israeli FM’s visit to Somaliland
- Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar visited breakaway African region of Somaliland on January 6
- Muslim states urge Israel to withdraw Somaliland recognition, respect Somalia’s sovereignty
ISLAMABAD: A joint statement by Pakistan, 22 other Muslim states and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Thursday condemned Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar’s recent visit to Somaliland as a violation of the African nation’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Saar’s visit to Somaliland capital Hargeisa on Jan. 6 followed Israel’s move last month to recognize Somaliland, a breakaway region from Somalia, as an independent country. The move drew a sharp reaction from Muslim states, including Pakistan, who said it was in contravention of the UN Charter and international norms.
Several international news outlets months earlier reported that Israel had contacted Somaliland over the potential resettlement of Palestinians forcibly removed from Gaza. Muslim countries fear Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region could be part of its plan to forcibly relocate Palestinians from Gaza to the region.
“The said visit constitutes a clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia, and undermines established international norms and the United Nations Charter,” the joint statement shared by Pakistan’s foreign office, read.
The joint statement was issued on behalf of 23 Muslim states, including Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Palestine, Jordan, Kuwait, Türkiye, Oman and others.
It reaffirmed support for Somalia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, pointing out that respect for international law and non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states was necessary for regional stability.
“Encouraging secessionist agendas are unacceptable and risk exacerbating tensions in an already fragile region,” the statement said.
The joint statement urged Israel to revoke its recognition of the breakaway region.
“Israel should fully respect Somalia’s sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity and honor its obligations in compliance with international law, and demand immediate revocation of the recognition issued by Israel,” the statement read.
Somaliland broke away from Somalia unilaterally in 1991 as a civil war raged in the country. Somaliland has its own constitution, parliament and currency, a move that has infuriated Somalia over the years as it insists the region is part of its territory.
