Director General of Hajj The Mission, Abdul Wahab Soomro stated that “20 Pakistani pilgrims died in Makkah, 6 in Madina, 4 in Mina, 3 in Arafat and 2 in Muzdalifah dueto extreme heat.”
‘He denied the allegations of abondaning pilgrims as baseless, emphasising their trust on information provided by the Saudi authorities, which they subsequently verify.’
“He emphasized that they are notified of any death, the Saudi Governments has a system where that ask for consent from the families for the buriel of the pilgrim either in Saudi Arabia or in Pakistan. The body is then washed and funeral prayers are offered and arrangements are made to transport the body to Pakistan.
Meanwhile, PM Shahbaz Sharif expressed sorrow and grief over the death of Pakistanis. He directed Foriegn Affair Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik Hussain and Pakistani Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Farooq, regarding the current situation in Saudia and to make arrangments for the transportation of dead bodies and also provide all the necessary facilities to the pilgrims.
