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.