ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Hajj Volunteers Group (PHVG), a Saudi Arabia-based group of Pakistani expatriates, has recruited more than 2,500 volunteers to assist pilgrims during this year’s annual Hajj pilgrimage, a senior PHVG official said on Sunday.
Established in 2011 with only 85 volunteers, the PHVG has expanded over the course of 12 years and currently includes thousands of members, who volunteer during Hajj pilgrimage every year. The group works in close coordination with the Pakistani consulate in Jeddah and the Pakistan Hajj Mission.
The PHVG assists and provides guidance to pilgrims during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mina Valley, and the Saudi cities of Azizia and Makkah from the 10th till 12th of the Islamic holy month of Dhu Al-Hijjah, when Hajj activities reach their peak.
“The PHVG registered and verified 2,838 volunteers for Hajj 2024 operation and also has around 100 key volunteers in our three regions (Hejaz, central and eastern parts of the Kingdom) who are engaged year-round for all the preparations for the guests of Allah,” Ashraf Ali Khan, the PHVG central coordinator, told Arab News.

The PHVG started its registration campaign on February 9 that ended on May 10, according to the official. The organization used print, electronic, and social media to register Pakistani volunteers from all over the Kingdom.
“Any Pakistani legally present in the Kingdom can become a volunteer and they also need to be registered on the Saudi social services website for further permissions,” Khan said, adding all volunteers were required to complete two mandatory training sessions and an online exam before the final selection.
The official said his organization trained volunteers using audiovisual training sessions and instructed them on the Mina map reading and the usage of its mobile application, PHVG Hajj Navigator.

“The volunteers are neither allowed to perform Hajj nor compensated for their services as they are devoted to helping and guiding pilgrims to seek the reward and pleasure from Allah,” he added.
The volunteers mainly help Hajj pilgrims in five different areas, including providing training through videos and presentations, according to the official.
Along with this, volunteers also provide guidance in Mina, especially through translation, to pilgrims who come from around the world, and guide them to their tents, hospitals and assist them with wheelchairs.
“Additionally, we offer Tawaf-e-Ziyara to pilgrims who fall ill during the pilgrimage,” Khan said. “Each sick pilgrim is accompanied by two volunteers who escort them from the hospital and return them after completing the Tawaf.”

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said on Sunday that the emirs of Qatar and Kuwait have accepted his invitation to visit Pakistan, as Islamabad looks to increase foreign trade and investment from allies to escape a macroeconomic crisis. 

Sharif separately met the ambassadors of Qatar and Kuwait to Pakistan on Sunday during which matters relating to bilateral relations, trade and cooperation were discussed. 

During the meetings, the ambassadors of both countries presented letters from their emirs addressed to Sharif which conveyed they had accepted his invitation to visit Pakistan. 

“Visits by the emirs of Kuwait and Qatar to Pakistan will prove effective in increasing investment and cooperation further with Qatar and Kuwait,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

In his meeting with Kuwait’s Ambassador to Pakistan Abdulrahman Jasser Al-Mutairi, Sharif recalled his recent meeting with Kuwait’s emir at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh in April. 

“The prime minister expressed satisfaction that the next meeting of the Pakistan-Kuwait Joint Ministerial Commission will be held from May 28-30 in Kuwait,” the PMO said. 

Sharif also met Qatar’s envoy Mubarak Ali Essa Al-Khater in which he said Islamabad values its “historic brotherly relations” with Doha and reiterated Pakistan’s determination to increase mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, the PMO said. 

The Pakistani premier said both countries should start preparing for the Qatari emir’s visit by exchanging delegations to ensure the visit becomes a productive and successful one. 

This development takes place amid a flurry of foreign visits in recent weeks to Pakistan. These included visits by the now deceased Iranian president, the Saudi foreign minister, a delegation of top Saudi companies as well as officials from Qatar, China, Japan, Turkiye and Central Asian countries, among others.

Reeling from high inflation, low forex reserves, and an unstable currency, Sharif has vowed to steer Pakistan out of its prolonged economic crisis by enhancing bilateral trade with allies and attracting more international investments. This week, Sharif met UAE’s President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan who committed to investing $10 billion in multiple sectors of Pakistan. 

Islamabad is also currently in talks with the IMF to secure a new, longer-term bailout package of at least $6 billion to stave off a chronic balance of payment crisis.