Saudi Ambassador highlights facilities being extended to pilgrims
Saudi Ambassador Ali Awadh Asseri hopes that the primary intention of Pakistani Hajj and Umra organizers will not be to make profits alone, but to guide and facilitate the travelers in the performance of the holy rituals.
More than monetary gains, it is Allah's blessings that they should be seeking, he underlined, while speaking after the oath taking of the Pakistan Hajj and Umra Organizers Association (PHUOA).
Religious Affairs Minister Ijazul Haq and Secretary Vakeel Ahmed Khan also attended the function.
The ambassador warned that in case of complaints that were found to be genuine, the Saudi embassy would not hesitate to take immediate action against those responsible.
However, he assured the Hajj and Umra operators of the full understanding and his and Saudi embassy s cooperation to extend all possible help for their facilitation.
It is the relief of the pilgrims that we should be focusing at. In this context, you can be assured of our total support. I trust that the agents will render all promised services to the intending pilgrims Asseri emphasized.
The ambassador hoped that the new PHUOA office bearers would be able to set an example and guide the association towards becoming a leader in the task of providing economical and efficient service to the intending pilgrims to Baitullah.
Asseri said what is very significant is the intention of the organizers behind undertaking this venture. Of course, like other businesses, it is an activity to generate profits, he pointed out.
At the same time, facilitating the intending pilgrims to the Kingdom is also an activity that is vastly different from any other activity and should not be undertaken solely for the purposes of making profits, the ambassador stress.
This, he said, is particularly true for those intending pilgrims, who save from their meager resources over a lifetime to perform Hajj and Umra. They are the ones, who can ill afford to waste even a penny, he said adding that they are the ones, who should be helped and assisted for a comfortable, convenient and economical trip to Baitullah.
The ambassador said Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and the Saudi government have undertaken far-reaching measures to facilitate the performance of Hajj and Umra. He said billions of dollars have been invested to expand as well as modernize the Holy Ka aba and the Masjid-e-Nabvi and add new facilities around the holy places. Hajj and Umra visas are issued absolutely free. This should be known and communicated to the intending pilgrims.
It is also for the organizers of these tours to inform and educate the intending pilgrims and guide them in the right direction, Asseri urged and said that this should be part of a comprehensive orientation programme that should precede every tour to the holy land.
They should enlighten the intending pilgrims about their obligations from the time they wear the Ahraam to the time they take it off. It is the responsibility of the organizers to ensure that pilgrims are fully aware of their obligations and know exactly what they are supposed to do during their stay in Saudi Arabia, the diplomat stressed.
He said it was also the responsibility of the organizers to inform the intending pilgrims about Saudi laws and regulations so that no one is misguided or subjected to any unnecessary inconvenience or harassment.
It can be accomplished effectively by printing an appropriate leaflet that should act as a necessary guideline for the intending pilgrims, he said.
Asseri suggested that the PHUOA should coordinate with the major carriers, Saudia and PIA, so that educative in-flight videos could be played once the intending pilgrims board the plane. This will further facilitate them in the performance of their religious rituals.
He said Hajj, as it is known, is one of the five pillars of Islam. Allah has ordained it for those Muslims who can afford it. Facilitating Muslims intending to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj and Umra should be a matter