300 pilgrims arrive from Iraq

Several zaireen claim airline staff misplaced their passports

KARACHI:

Around 300 pilgrims returned to the country from Iraq on Saturday, while 900 zaireen remain stranded at Baghdad airport.

They reached Karachi via Iraqi Airways flight IA 2431 at 6:15am.

The pilgrims had been stranded at Baghdad airport for the last three days.

Pakistani pilgrims had visited Iraq to attend the Chelum commemoration - also known as Arbaeen.

More than 21 million Muslim pilgrims took part in the Arbaeen, which reached its peak last Sunday, with attendees displaying their support for Gaza.

A total of 600 pilgrims have arrived in Pakistan until now whereas 900 are still stranded in Iraq. Several of those stuck at Baghdad airport protested and had an altercation with the Iraqi Airways staff.

According to the pilgrims, the airline staff misplaced several of their passports.

Sources explained that the situation arose because the airline administration retained the pilgrims' passports upon their arrival in Iraq, adding that this practice is intended to prevent zaireen from going missing in the country.

Earlier, cases had been reported where people on visitor visa to Iraq did not return to their country.

Pakistani pilgrims at Baghdad airport rued that they had been facing great difficulty in obtaining food and potable water, alleging that no help was being provided by the Pakistan embassy.

In statement late on Friday night, the Foreign Office said 654 Pakistani pilgrims were stranded at the Baghdad airport "because of technical fault with two aircraft of Iraq Airways".

"The return of these zaireen is expected to start tonight," the FO said, adding that it expected all stranded passengers to return by Aug 31.

The FO noted that the foreign and aviation ministries and Pakistan's Embassy in Iraq were in contact with Iraqi authorities and Iraqi Airways for early repatriation of the stranded Pakistanis.

In recent weeks, buses transporting Pakistani pilgrims have experienced several accidents in both Iran and Pakistan, leading to at least 42 fatalities.

At least three people died and 48 were injured in a bus-truck collision near Iran's Neyriz city on Sunday night, days after another crash in Yazd city killed 28 people. A bus accident on Makran coastal highway on Sunday also claimed the lives of at least 11 people and injured 35.