Pakistani volunteers in Mina serve pilgrims

Hundreds of Pakistani expatriates, most of them based in Jeddah, have taken to voluntary work for Haj and are busy in Mina serving their country’s pilgrims.
The volunteers have set up base in Makkah and Mina besides other holy sites to assist pilgrims, mainly guiding them to their accommodation as many of them often find themselves lost while moving between holy sites and also their visit to the Grand Mosque. The interaction in their native language by their own kin brings cheer to pilgrims wandering around in unfamiliar and difficult conditions.
An Arab News reporter in Mina saw Pakistani volunteers consoling lost pilgrims who were desperately seeking their loved ones, and escorting them to their accommodations based on the information tag on the bracelets worn by pilgrims.
“Our objective is to guide pilgrims in Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifa and Jamarat in their native language and to make them understand rituals,” Mohammed Zia-ul Hafeez, coordinator of Pakistan Haj Volunteer Group (PHVG) told Arab News.
He said: “We have provided GPS-enabled mobile devices to our volunteers in the field to navigate pilgrims to their destinations.
We are working closely in coordination with the consulate of Pakistan and the Word Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) within the parameters of Saudi laws to serve the guests of Allah in the holy sites.”
Mohammed Zia-ul Hafeez said over 1,000 volunteers had come forward to serve the pilgrims. “Volunteers work in two shifts of 12 hours, and they have been provided with extensive training. No volunteer is performing Haj and their duty is only to serve the pilgrims,” he said.
PHVG had won praise last year with its service to aged pilgrims in facilitating medical care and guiding pilgrims to their accommodations. The group has its exclusive accommodation in Aziziyah in Makkah where volunteers stay during their service in Makkah. In all, 133,386 pilgrims from Pakistan are performing Haj this year.