Latest news with #pilgrim
Arab News
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan minister to attend tomorrow tri-nation conference in Tehran on pilgrim, border issues
KARACHI: Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is undertaking an official visit to Tehran to attend a tri-nation conference on pilgrim and border issues, the Pakistani interior ministry said on Sunday. The conference of interior ministers from Pakistan, Iran and Iraq is being convened on a request from Islamabad, according to the Pakistani interior ministry. Thousands of Pakistani Shiite Muslims, who travel annually to Iran and Iraq to visit holy sites, have often complained of issues at the border. 'Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi will attend the trilateral conference on pilgrims and border issues in Tehran tomorrow,' the Pakistani interior ministry said on Sunday. 'Naqvi will also meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.' Last month, Pakistan evacuated over 260 nationals from Iraq and another 450 Pakistanis who had been stranded in Iran during the Tehran-Israeli conflict. The 12-day war between Iran and Israel, which began on June 13 Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and military leadership, raised alarms in a region that was already on edge since the start of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023. Pakistan remained engaged in talks with regional partners like Saudi Arabia, Iran, China and Qatar to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East after Iran conducted retaliatory strikes on Israel and a US base in Qatar, raising fears the conflict could draw in other regional states.
Arab News
02-07-2025
- Health
- Arab News
Pakistani pilgrim calls survival ‘a miracle' after his heart stopped five times during Hajj
ISLAMABAD: On the Day of Arafat, as the Hajj sermon began under the blazing sun, Pakistani pilgrim Imran Khan collapsed, his heart stopping not once, but five times. Saudi authorities swiftly intervened, airlifting him to a nearby medical facility for life-saving treatment, prompting him to describe his survival weeks later as a 'miracle' and his new life as 'a precious gift from Allah.' Khan, a 42-year-old father of two from Haroonabad, a modest town in Punjab's Bahawalnagar District, had long dreamed of performing Hajj. Accompanied by his wife, he set out on the pilgrimage this year with a heart full of gratitude. Everything went smoothly — until June 5, the most important day of Hajj, when, standing on the sun-scorched plains of Arafat, he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and was rushed to East Arafat Hospital in critical condition. Despite repeated resuscitation attempts, his heart stopped multiple times, putting his life at grave risk. After initial emergency care, he was airlifted again to King Abdullah Medical City in Makkah, still on a ventilator, where a team of specialized doctors treated him, and he eventually recovered. 'It is indeed a miracle that Allah has blessed me with a new life, a precious gift from Him,' Khan told Arab News over the phone from Jeddah. From the very beginning of his pilgrimage, he said, his heart carried a single, earnest prayer for good health, recalling how he repeatedly asked Allah to grant him a life of strength and well-being. 'Had this happened in Pakistan, such a level of care might not have been possible, and I may not have survived,' he added. Khan said he had a mild diabetes condition but no history of heart issues, and that before embarking on the Hajj journey, he underwent a medical checkup and was declared fully fit. While standing in Arafat during the Hajj sermon, Khan recalled he began to feel an intense chest pain followed by severe palpitations. Eventually, he lost consciousness after vomiting. 'When I regained consciousness nearly 17 days later, the doctors told me that my heart had stopped five times on that day,' he said, adding his treatment in Saudi Arabia was excellent, and truly of an international standard. After being airlifted by helicopter from the plains of Arafat to King Abdullah Hospital, he said a dedicated medical team treated him around the clock. 'At every critical moment, a full team of doctors was constantly attending to me,' he said, thanking the Saudi government for providing excellent life-saving treatment. 'The entire treatment was completely free of cost,' he continued. 'They did not take a single penny from me and provided everything from medicines to food and water.' Khan commended his wife for showing remarkable courage throughout the ordeal. 'She is still with me here in Jeddah and has stood by me every step of the way,' he said in an emotional tone. 'I also had two Pakistani friends with me, but I have not seen such strength and bravery even in men as my wife displayed in Saudi Arabia.' Khan said he would travel to Pakistan on July 8, as doctors had discharged him from the hospital and declared him fit to travel. 'It's now been five days since I was discharged from the hospital and I am currently in Jeddah, where my health is gradually improving,' he added. According to the Pakistan Hajj Medical Mission, a total of 239 Pakistani pilgrims with serious health issues were treated in Saudi hospitals this year, including both government and Saudi-sponsored private sector facilities. As of now, five patients remain admitted, with four of them on ventilators.
Malay Mail
15-06-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
Malaysian Haj pilgrim dies of heart attack in Mecca, bringing total deaths to 15, says Islamic affairs minister
KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — Another haj pilgrim from Malaysia has died in the holy city of Makkah, bringing the total number of deaths this haj season to 15. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar said Nor Azamuddin Ahmad, 56, from group KT073, breathed his last at 5.10pm local time yesterday following a heart attack. He said the pilgrim had been staying at the Marsa Al Jariah Building, Maktab 81 (PJH-Mahabbateen), and was accompanied by his wife, Rozina Saad, while in the holy land. 'Tabung Haji has completed the death verification process and informed the family in Malaysia of his passing. All matters related to the funeral will be handled by haj officials, insya-Allah,' he said in a Facebook post today. He also extended his condolences to the family of the deceased and prayed that they be granted strength and patience in facing this test. 'Let us all pray that his soul is blessed with divine mercy and placed among the righteous. Amin ya Rabbal 'alamin,' he said. — Bernama
Malay Mail
15-06-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
Malaysian haj pilgrim dies of heart attack in Makkah, bringing total deaths to 15, says religious affairs minister
KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — Another haj pilgrim from Malaysia has died in the holy city of Makkah, bringing the total number of deaths this haj season to 15. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar said Nor Azamuddin Ahmad, 56, from group KT073, breathed his last at 5.10pm local time yesterday following a heart attack. He said the pilgrim had been staying at the Marsa Al Jariah Building, Maktab 81 (PJH-Mahabbateen), and was accompanied by his wife, Rozina Saad, while in the holy land. 'Tabung Haji has completed the death verification process and informed the family in Malaysia of his passing. All matters related to the funeral will be handled by haj officials, insya-Allah,' he said in a Facebook post today. He also extended his condolences to the family of the deceased and prayed that they be granted strength and patience in facing this test. 'Let us all pray that his soul is blessed with divine mercy and placed among the righteous. Amin ya Rabbal 'alamin,' he said. — Bernama
Malay Mail
09-06-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
Minister: Malaysian Haj pilgrim dies in Mecca, marking tenth fatality this season
MECCA, June 9 — Another Malaysian Haj pilgrim has died in Makkah, bringing the total number of Malaysian deaths during the 1446H/2025M Haj season to ten. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs), Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar, said the deceased, Abdul Malik Sudin, 62, died of a heart attack at King Abdullah Hospital. He was a pilgrim from Maktab 90A and had been staying at the Rehab Al-Janadriyah building. He had completed the wukuf ritual in Arafah last Thursday. Speaking to reporters after attending the 1446H Haj Season Closing Ceremony organised by the Saudi Ministry of Haj and Umrah last night, Mohd Na'im said the Pilgrims Fund Board (TH) has contacted the family and will manage all funeral arrangements and related welfare matters. On behalf of TH's senior management, Mohd Na'im extended condolences to the family and prayed that the deceased is granted Allah's mercy and that his good deeds are accepted. To date, nine Malaysian pilgrims have died of heart attacks, while one succumbed to a bacterial infection and organ failure. — Bernama
