Shaheer Ahmed
In Saudi Arabia, two pilgrims from Pakistan have arrived on foot. To execute the required Hajj rite, they had to walk for about three and a half months to get to the holiest site in Islam.
Khalid Abdul Ghafoor and Zeeshan departed their hometown of Faisalabad for Makkah on December 2, 2022, with a trolley containing their personal possessions. They were from the Punjab area of central-eastern Pakistan.
To get to their desired location, the pair travelled 30 kilometres per day. After three months and 12 days, they eventually crossed the UAE border and entered the Kingdom. They still need to travel 1500 kilometres to get to Makkah’s Holy Kaaba.
In an interview with the Pak Media Forum (PMF) in Saudi Arabia, they expressed their gratitude to Allah Almighty for providing them the fortitude to walk for the holy pilgrimage. They want to get there as soon as they can now that they have entered Saudi Arabia.
PMF welcomed Khalid and Zeeshan to Saudi Arabia and praised their bravery. When the pair travels to the most sacred sites in Islam, it also offered its best wishes for them.
Up to 179,210 pilgrims from Pakistan would be allowed to make the yearly Hajj trip this year. Under the country’s Hajj Strategy 2023, 89,605 of the available spaces for the trip will be allocated to Pakistanis residing abroad through a sponsorship programme. It will enable Pakistanis living abroad to make the journey on their own or to support their family members who live in Pakistan by paying for the Hajj with US dollars.
