ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani ministry of religious affairs on Wednesday urged the masses to disregard rumors about Hajj pilgrims and verify information from credible sources before sharing it on social media platforms.
The statement came in response to reports and videos that purportedly showed some Pakistani pilgrims had been left stranded while performing rituals in Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah during the Hajj pilgrimage.
Abdul Wahab Soomro, director-general of the Pakistan Hajj Mission (PHM), said the videos shared online were “baseless” and their authenticity could not be confirmed.
“The PHM relies on information provided by the Saudi government, which is later verified by the mission itself,” the official said in a statement.
“As of 4:00 PM on June 18, a total of 9 deaths of Pakistanis had occurred in Mashair, with 4 in Mina, 3 in Arafat, and 2 in Muzdalifah,” he said, adding that this year’s Hajj was challenging due to extreme heat and harsh weather conditions, with temperatures reaching 50°C.
Soomro emphasized the mission received reports of deaths and verified them before taking any action.
“The Saudi government has set up a system for burials and funeral prayers in Haramain, and arrangements are also made to send the dead body of a pilgrim to Pakistan if the heirs demand it,” he added.
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.
Pilgrims pelted the jamarat and performed the Farewell Tawaf on Tuesday, bringing this year’s Hajj to a close.
Pakistan had a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims this year, of which more than 70,000 people performed the pilgrimage under the government scheme, while the rest used private tour operators.
The South Asian country will begin its post-Hajj flight operation on Thursday to bring local pilgrims back home.
Pakistani religion ministry urges people to disregard social media rumors about Hajj pilgrims
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Pakistani religion ministry urges people to disregard social media rumors about Hajj pilgrims
- The statement came in response to reports and videos that purportedly showed some Pakistani pilgrims had been left stranded during Hajj rituals
- Pakistan Hajj Mission director-general says the videos shared online are ‘baseless,’ urges people to rely on credible sources for accurate information
Pakistan weekly inflation rises 5.19% year on year as Ramadan begins
- Out of 51 items, prices of 17 items increased, 12 items decreased and 22 remained stable
- The Sensitive Price Index for the week ending on Feb. 19 increased by 1.16 percent, data shows
KARACHI: Short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), rose 5.19 percent year-on-year in the week ending Feb 19, the statistics bureau said on Friday, reflecting higher prices of perishable food items at the start of Ramadan.
The SPI, which comprises 51 essential items collected from 50 markets in 17 cities, is computed on a weekly basis to assess the price movement of essential commodities at a shorter interval of time to review the price situation in the country.
The SPI for the week ending on Feb. 19 increased by 1.16 percent, the year-on-year trend depicted an increase of 5.19 percent, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data.
The development came as the holy fasting month of Ramadan began in the South Asian country on Feb. 19, which often sees an increase of prices of fruit, vegetables and other necessary items.
“During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 17 (33.33%) items increased, 12 (23.53%) items decreased and 22 (43.14%) items remained stable,” the PBS said.
Major increase was observed in the prices of Bananas (16.05%), Electricity Charges for Q1 (15.41%), Garlic (5.86%), Chicken (5.49%), Onions (3.83%), Tomatoes (3.82%), Diesel (2.69%), Petrol (1.93%), Beef (1.03%), LPG (0.75%), Mutton (0.69%) and Long Cloth (0.28%), according to the PBS.
The items whose prices decreased included Eggs (11.78%), Potatoes (2.24%), Wheat Flour (2.02%), Pulse Masoor (1.47%), Sugar (0.96%), Vegetable Ghee 2.5Kg (0.72%), Pulse Gram (0.58%), Cooking Oil 5 Litre (0.19%), Gur (0.16%), Vegetable Ghee 1Kg (0.11%), Rice (0.08%) and Mustard Oil (0.07%).
