Hajj stampede: Seven Pakistani pilgrims still unaccounted for

Families disappointed with govt efforts, hope for a miracle

ISLAMABAD: A month and a half has passed since the Hajj stampede in Mina, but the fate of seven Pakistani pilgrims is still unknown, much to the anguish of their families.

Ninety-nine Pakistani pilgrims lost their lives in the tragic incident on September 24. According to the religious affairs ministry, four of the seven missing pilgrims are Iqama holders, one had gone to Saudi Arabia under the government’s Hajj scheme and two under a private scheme.



“It is shocking that both Pakistani and Saudi governments are still clueless about my mother,” Syed Shehzad Azhar told The Express Tribune. His mother Yasmeen is still unaccounted for, while his younger brother was killed in the stampede.

Azhar said his family was keeping in touch with the Pakistani embassy and the religious affairs ministry. “They only ask us to wait and hope.”

He said the authorities could not imagine the agony the affected families were going through.”

Disappointed with the government, Azhar plans to take matters into his own hands. “My father and I want to go to Saudi Arabia to search for my mother. We applied for visas 10 to 15 days ago, but so far we have not received any response from the government or the embassy.”



Clarifying the government’s position on the issue, Ministry of Religious Affairs Joint Secretary Noor Zaman said: “Both Pakistani and Saudi governments are making all-out efforts to locate missing pilgrims.” He said Pakistan was not the only country whose pilgrims were unaccounted for, as there were 20 to 30 people from other countries still missing.

Zaman added that the Pakistani government had deployed men on a permanent basis at every mortuary in Saudi Arabia to continue looking for bodies being brought there.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2015.