Pakistani religion ministry urges people to disregard social media rumors about Hajj pilgrims

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.