ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Hajj Mission in Saudi Arabia will start moving pilgrims to Mina tonight, said the country’s religious affairs minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain on Thursday, marking the beginning of the annual Islamic pilgrimage from Friday.
The Hajj pilgrims gather in Mina on the first day of Hajj, where they spend time preparing spiritually before heading to the plain of Arafat.
The Day of Arafat is considered the most significant day of Hajj where pilgrims engage in deep prayer and reflection, seeking forgiveness and blessings.
Following this, they proceed to Muzdalifah at night to collect pebbles, then move to perform the symbolic stoning of the devil at Jamarat, culminating with the celebration of Eid Al-Adha through the ritual of animal sacrifice.
The Pakistani minister visited the residences and hospital of Hajj pilgrims and inquired about the well-being of people performing their spiritual journey this year.
“Pakistani Hajj pilgrims will be taken to Mina between Thursday and Friday night,” he said. “The country’s Hajj mission is continuously working on facilities at Mina and Arafat. The Hajj assistants and paramedical staff will also be with the pilgrims at Mina.”
The religious affairs ministry has told pilgrims they will receive information about the animal sacrifice through the Pak Hajj app.
“All pilgrims who have deposited the sacrifice amount at the ministry will have their sacrifice completed between Dhuhr and Asr prayers on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah,” the minister said.
He also interacted with the representatives of private Hajj companies and instructed them to provide best possible facilities pilgrims.
Pakistani authorities to transport pilgrims to Mina tonight ahead of start of Hajj on Friday
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Pakistani authorities to transport pilgrims to Mina tonight ahead of start of Hajj on Friday
- Chaudhry Salik Hussain says Hajj pilgrims will get notification of animal sacrifice on 10th of Dhul Hijjah
- He meets with representatives of private Hajj companies, asks them to provide proper facilities to pilgrims
Sindh chief minister pledges compensation within two months after Karachi plaza fire
- Murad Ali Shah says government is working with Karachi chamber to help shopkeepers restart businesses
- January fire that killed at least 67 brought safety of Karachi’s commercial buildings under sharp focus
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said on Friday compensation for shopkeepers affected by last month’s deadly Gul Plaza shopping mall blaze would be released within two months amid calls for improved fire safety regulations to protect commercial buildings in Karachi.
The fire at Gul Plaza in January killed at least 67 people and left more than 15 missing, triggering renewed criticism of lax enforcement of building codes and emergency preparedness in Pakistan’s largest city.
Authorities said the blaze spread rapidly through the multi-story commercial complex, complicating rescue efforts and raising questions about wiring, access routes and fire safety systems in older markets.
“The government in collaboration with the Karachi Chamber is actively working to help shopkeepers restart their businesses and aims to ensure that compensation is provided within two months so that the shopkeepers can buy inventories to restart their businesses,” the chief minister said while addressing the inauguration of the My Karachi Exhibition, an annual trade and consumer exhibition, according to an official statement.
He said temporary locations had been identified where shopkeepers could operate rent-free until reconstruction is completed, paying only basic maintenance costs.
Shah reiterated the Sindh administration’s commitment to provide Rs 10 million ($36,000) to the families of those who died in the fire, along with immediate relief of Rs 500,000 ($1,785) for affected shopkeepers.
He said Gul Plaza would be rebuilt within two years “in the same manner and with the same number of shops,” adding that the new structure would be safer and constructed “without a single square inch extra.”
Business leaders at the event called for stricter enforcement of fire safety standards across Karachi’s commercial districts, citing unregulated electrical wiring and poor compliance as recurring causes of deadly market fires.
