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In pictures: Overseas Hajj pilgrims rejoice after two-year COVID-19 absence

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

Saudi Arabia announced in April that one million Muslims, including 850,000 from abroad, would be able to perform Hajj this year.

MECCA: Of the hundreds of thousands of Muslims arriving in Mecca this week for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, perhaps none had a more arduous journey than Adam Mohammed, a 53-year-old electrical engineer from the United Kingdom.

Mohammed, who is of Iraqi-Kurdish origin, decided last year to travel on foot to Saudi Arabia, a journey of more than 7,000 kilometres (4,350 miles) that took him through nine countries before he crossed over from Jordan into the northwestern Saudi town of Tabuk.

Muslim pilgrims arrive outside the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia´s holy city of Mecca on July 5. — AFP

The trip was made all the more dramatic by the fact that when he started his trek 11 months ago, pushing a cart in front of him that contained his food and other supplies, he had no idea whether he would be able to access the holy mosques in Mecca and Medina.

It was only in April that Saudi Arabia, which barred overseas pilgrims in 2020 and 2021 as part of efforts to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic, announced that one million Muslims, including 850,000 from abroad, would be able to participate this year.

A Muslim pilgrim arrives outside the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia´s holy city of Mecca on July. — AFP

Now safely in Mecca, some 15 kilograms (33 pounds) lighter than when he started, Mohammed has no regrets.

“I cried when I first arrived. It’s an unbelievable feeling,” he told AFP.

“My trip was exhausting. I stopped in many places for rest. But I was focused on one thing: I am 53 years old, so what if I spare 11 months on the road to reach the house of God? It’s doable.”

Pilgrims are pictured at Jabal al-Noor ´mountain of light´, overlooking the holy city of Mecc. — AFP

Mohammed said Saudi authorities granted him and his wife and two daughters, who have flown from the UK to the Gulf kingdom, a permit to participate in the hajj, which consists of a series of religious rites completed in Mecca and surrounding areas of western Saudi Arabia.

Most of the other foreigners performing the rite have been selected via a lottery system.

‘It is my dream’

One of the five pillars of Islam, the hajj must be undertaken by all able-bodied Muslims who have the means at least once in their lives.

But pandemic restrictions forced countless would-be pilgrims based outside Saudi Arabia to put their plans on hold.

A female pilgrim prays atop the Jabal al-Noor or ´Mountain of Light. — AFP

Usually one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, about 2.5 million people participated in 2019, before the pandemic began.

The following year, foreigners were blocked and the total number of worshippers was capped at 10,000 to stop the hajj from turning into a global super-spreader.

Muslim worshippers perform Isha prayer at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia´s holy city of Mecca. — AFP

That figure rose to 60,000 fully vaccinated Saudi citizens and residents in 2021.

Hosting the hajj is a matter of prestige and a powerful source of legitimacy for Saudi rulers.

Muslim worshippers pray around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia´s holy city of Mecca. — AFP

The ban on overseas pilgrims caused deep disappointment among Muslims worldwide, who typically save for years to take part.

Though the number is much higher this year, there are still some restrictions: participants must be Muslims aged under 65 who are fully vaccinated and can submit a negative Covid-19 PCR result from a test taken within 72 hours of travel.

A Muslim worshipper prays with hands raised towards the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia´s holy city of Mecca. — AFP

The hajj officially begins Wednesday, and Mecca is already overrun with worshippers who, like Mohammed, are relieved to have finally reached their destination after long, stressful waits.

A 30-year-old Russian pilgrim who gave her name as Halima said she had been imagining her stay in Mecca for more than a decade.

The hajj costs at least $5,000 per person, and Halima said she shared her story with friends to drum up funds for both her and her father to come.

“Yesterday was the first time I saw the Kaaba,” she said, referring to the large black cubic structure at the centre of the Grand Mosque.

Muslim pilgrims pray at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia´s holy city of Mecca on July 5, 2022. — AFP

“It is my dream to be here, and now I am living it.”

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Salim Haider’s inauguration as Punjab governor will be attended by Bilawal.

Published

3 mins ago

Farwa

Punjab governor Sardar Salim Haider Khan, the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), will take the oath of office today (Tuesday).

The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Governor’s House, according to sources. Chief Justice Sardar Salim Haider of the Lahore High Court (LHC) will administer the oath.

The leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Punjab cabinet members, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and PPP leaders will be present at the oath-taking event.

The ceremony to take the oath of office was originally slated for Sunday, May 5, but it was postponed for two days due to the absence of the current governor, Balighur Rehman. The PPP leaders had been asked by the PML-N to reschedule the event by two days.

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Everything is prepared for Nawaz to lead the PML-N once more.

Published

6 mins ago

Farwa

After finalizing the necessary arrangements, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif is ready to assume leadership of the party.

Monday in the party’s Model Town secretariat, the former three-time prime minister presided over a high-level meeting.

The general council meeting of the PML-N, which is set for May 11, was thoroughly briefed by secretary general Ahsan Iqbal.

Along with Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, prominent members of the PML-N, including Rana Sanaullah and Khawaja Saad Rafique, and Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, were also present at the meeting.

Sources state that Kh Saad Rafique, the party’s veteran, will be named secretary general and Nawaz Sharif will be re-elected as PML-N president during the general council meeting.

To elect Nawaz Sharif as PML-N president, a resolution would be put forth during the meeting.

The older Sharif was asked to lead the party once more in a unanimous resolution that the PML-N chapter in Punjab passed a few days prior.

The contentious judiciary judgment that forced Mian Nawaz Sharif to resign as PML-N president. He has been acquitted and the barriers of repression have been removed. Following the resolution’s passing, PML-N Punjab president Rana Sanaullah declared, “The PML-N will advance under his leadership.

It has been stated that Nawaz Sharif was asked to take over as PML-N leader once again.

The former prime minister was compelled to leave the party in 2017, he continued.

Insiders claim that in an effort to stir up more energy inside the party, it was decided to divide the government and organizational offices.
Herhbaz Sharif, the current president, is too busy serving as prime minister to devote much of his attention to the party.

“After taking office again as president, Nawaz Sharif will travel to all four provinces to reorganize the party,” a top PML-N figure stated.

Nationwide, there are plans to replace provincial leaders as well.

All four provinces, including Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Kashmir, will send representatives to the general council meeting, along with members of the central executive committee, senators, and MNAs.

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ECP: The SC’s order on reserved seats should be followed in full.

Published

10 mins ago

Farwa

The Supreme Court’s decision on the distribution of reserved seats to political parties will be followed in letter and spirit, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced on Tuesday.

The Election Commission will act in accordance with the directives given to the electoral body by the highest court, according to sources within the organization. They claimed further that there was a pending matter pertaining to the extra seats.

Regarding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senate elections, they claimed a decision had not yet been made. Additionally, the sources stated that KP province Senate elections would only be feasible once the matter pertaining to reserved seats was resolved.

The Sunni Ittehad Council’s appeal was accepted for consideration by the Supreme Court on Monday, but the PHC and the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to reserve seats for the SIC and award them to other parties was stayed.

The mandate granted by the people should be properly represented in parliament, Judge Mansoor Ali Shah said as the proceedings got back underway. Allow me to explain what the Election Commission has really done, said the ECP’s legal representative. We only dispersed the reserved seats once. No new distribution of them was made.

The court, Justice Shah said, was more interested in following the Constitution than in what the Election Commission had done. Giving other parties more seats isn’t it against the idea of proportionality, Justice Shah questioned. According to Justice Athar Minallah, seats were unfairly awarded to other parties. Even after losing the electoral symbol, a party could still run for office, according to his observation.