PHOTO: SAUDI CIVIL DEFENCE
Photographs of the missing victims posted on the internet have gone viral, providing much-needed hope to the waiting families.
Read: This year's Hajj stampede deadliest in history
The website of the Ministry of Religious Affairs claims that 95 Pakistanis died in the incident and 22 are yet to be traced.
Among the searchers is Karachi-based Maria Khalil, who posted a picture of her maternal aunt Zareen Naseem online and requested everyone to share the post.
She said her family had no clue whether Zareen was dead or alive and voiced hope that they might be able to locate her if the photograph keeps being reposted.
Talking to The Express Tribune, the missing victim’s cousin Azharuddin said: “Almost half a month has passed and we still have no clue about her. We have lost faith in the government, no matter how tall are their claims of trying to locate the unaccounted for pilgrims.”
Read: PIA brings back 19,600 Hajj pilgrims
Zareen’s husband died 22 years ago, leaving her to raise five daughters, four of whom have been married off.
Before she left to perform Hajj, she had been living with one of her daughters in Karachi’s North Nazimabad locality.
One of her daughters was killed in the Mina tragedy. “The daughter with whom she was living is suffering, waiting for a clue to signal her mother’s return,” said Azhar. “Considering her situation, the family decided to share Zareen’s picture on Facebook, in the hope of tracing her.”
Another online post that is spreading like wildfire on social media is about Bushra Khaliq, who also went missing after the stampede.
The post carries two pictures: one shows her before the incident and in the other she is seen admitted in a critical condition at a hospital. Bushra is based in Saudi Arabia and works for a private airline company.
Read: Mina stampede: Death toll of Pakistani pilgrims rises to 76
Syed Faizan Ali Shah, also based in Saudi Arabia, has volunteered to help Bushra’s family locate her. He told The Express Tribune over the phone that her family was disappointed in the Pakistani and Saudi governments.
He said he saw her photograph in which she appeared to be badly injured and admitted in a hospital, but he had no clue who shared the picture.
“Bushra’s mother is in unbearable pain. She has been praying every waking moment to find a clue about her daughter. Social media is her last hope.”
Attock-based Yasmeen Bibi’s family has also posted her photograph online in the hope of finding her whereabouts.
Read: Saudi religious leader denounces 'lies' after Hajj tragedy
The 43-year-old’s son Syed Shehzad is desperate to locate her. “The government is busy in the local government elections and has forgotten people like us who are dying every moment,” he said. “It is the social media that has given us hope.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 11th, 2015.
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