ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday said every Pakistani pilgrim was “very special” for the government as tens of thousands of worshippers from the country joined more than 1.5 million Muslims to reach Muzdalifah as Hajj moved towards culmination.
Naqvi made the remarks during visits to camps housing Pakistani pilgrims in Mina, where he reviewed accommodation, food and transport arrangements and met worshippers, including elderly pilgrims.
During the visit, the interior minister also met a 100-year-old Pakistani pilgrim and praised his determination and spirit in undertaking the pilgrimage despite his age.
“Every pilgrim is very special for us,” Naqvi said while interacting with Pakistani pilgrims during the inspection.
He also thanked Saudi Arabia for extending facilities to Pakistani pilgrims through the Makkah Route Initiative, which allows immigration procedures to be completed in Pakistan before departure.
Meanwhile, pilgrims dressed in white robes gathered from early morning on the plains of Arafat, reciting Quranic verses and offering prayers at the site where Prophet Muhammad is believed to have delivered his final sermon around 1,400 years ago.
Pakistan has sent around 179,000 pilgrims for this year’s Hajj, including more than 119,000 under the government scheme and 60,000 through private operators, making it one of the world’s largest Hajj contingents.
Officials from Ministry of Religious Affairs Pakistan said arrangements for Pakistani pilgrims were continuing smoothly in coordination with Saudi authorities despite temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius across the holy sites.
“All operations, including flights, accommodation and transport, are being organized in a smooth and exemplary manner to ensure the comfort and safety of all pilgrims,” Radio Pakistan quoted Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousuf as saying during his visit to Saudi Arabia.
Saudi authorities deployed extensive heat management and emergency response measures during the pilgrimage, while volunteers distributed water, umbrellas and food packages to worshippers moving toward Mount Arafat.
Pakistan’s Hajj mission said trained teams of Khuddam-ul-Hujjaj remained stationed across the holy sites to assist pilgrims with accommodation, transport, crowd management and emergency support.
Officials said the facilitators had received specialized training in digital navigation systems, crowd handling and emergency response ahead of Hajj 2026.
Pakistan also introduced a pilot project this year enabling thousands of pilgrims to travel between Makkah and Madinah aboard the Haramain High-Speed Railway, significantly reducing travel time between the two holy cities.
After sunset, pilgrims will travel to Muzdalifah, where they will spend the night before proceeding to Mina for the symbolic “stoning of the devil” ritual, one of the final major rites of Hajj.
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