MAKKAH: More than 83,000 Pakistani pilgrims started moving from Mina to Mount Arafat on Friday, a top official from Pakistan in Makkah said, to perform the main rite of Hajj in the same vicinity where the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) delivered his Farewell Sermon while performing the pilgrimage centuries ago.
Saudi authorities had initially allocated a quota of 81,132 pilgrims for Pakistan but later allowed 2,000 more people from the South Asian nation to perform Hajj this year, taking the total number of pilgrims to 83,132.
All Pakistani pilgrims had reached Mina on Thursday to formally begin the Hajj. Mina, which is known as the “city of tents,” shelters pilgrims from all nations during their spiritual journey.
“All Pakistani pilgrims under the government [Hajj] scheme have arrived in Arafat,” Ibrar Mirza, director general of Hajj in Makkah said. “A majority of those who were facilitated by private tour operators have also arrived in the area and the rest will soon be here.”
He added that many pilgrims from Pakistan had decided to reached Masjid-e-Nimrah located in Arafat where they would perform their prayers and hear the Friday and Hajj sermons.