ISLAMABAD: Tens of thousands of Pakistani pilgrims joined more than 1.5 million Muslims in the holy city of Makkah this week as Hajj rituals entered a crucial phase against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the Middle East.
Pilgrims on Tuesday continued arriving in Mina after performing the “tawaf,” or seven circumambulations around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque, as temperatures climbed to around 45 degrees Celsius across the holy sites.
Pakistan has sent around 179,000 pilgrims for this year’s Hajj, including more than 119,000 under the government scheme and 60,000 through private operators, making it one of the world’s largest Hajj contingents.
Officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Pakistan, said extensive arrangements had been finalized in coordination with Saudi authorities to ensure smooth transport, accommodation and logistical support for Pakistani pilgrims throughout the pilgrimage.
“All operations, including flights, accommodation, and transport, are being organized in a smooth and exemplary manner to ensure the comfort and safety of all pilgrims,” Radio Pakistan quoted Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousuf as saying during his visit to Saudi Arabia.
The pilgrimage this year is unfolding amid uncertainty surrounding efforts to maintain stability in the region following conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, though Saudi authorities have emphasized strong security and operational preparedness for the annual gathering.
Saudi officials have also deployed enhanced heat management and emergency response measures after last year’s extreme temperatures during Hajj.
Pakistan’s Hajj mission said trained teams of Khuddam-ul-Hujjaj, or pilgrim facilitators, remained deployed across the holy sites to assist pilgrims with transport, accommodation, crowd management and emergency support.
Officials said the facilitators had undergone specialized training in digital navigation systems, emergency response, and crowd handling ahead of the pilgrimage season.
This year, Pakistan also introduced a pilot project allowing thousands of Pakistani pilgrims to travel between Makkah and Madinah through the Haramain High-Speed Railway, significantly reducing travel time between the two holy cities.
The main Hajj rituals will continue with the gathering at Mount Arafat, regarded as the spiritual climax of the pilgrimage, where pilgrims spend the day in prayer and reflection before proceeding to Muzdalifah and Mina for the symbolic stoning ritual.
Despite regional uncertainty and intense heat, many pilgrims described the experience as spiritually uplifting and the culmination of a lifelong dream.
