Lahore: According to the Hajj Application Form with the guidance given by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Government of Pakistan, during the Hajj in Saudi Arabia in the case of natural or accidental death under the current laws in the state will be buried in Saudi Arabia.
According to Saudi law and contract between the two countries, pilgrims who pass away in Saudi Arabia could not be transported to Pakistan and have to be buried in the kingdom. The Pakistani government has deployed a medical mission in Saudi Arabia comprising 640 medical staff to look after pilgrims.
Every follower of Islam is required to visit Mecca during the Hajj at least once in his or her lifetime, but only if they can afford or are able to do so. During the month of the Hajj, Mecca must cope with as many as four million pilgrims. As many as 93 Pakistani pilgrims have died while performing the Hajj in Saudi Arabia this year, according to Syed Abu Ahmed Aqif, director general (Hajj) in the Consulate General of Pakistan in Jeddah.
The Hajj is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca and the largest gathering of Muslim people in the world every year. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to Allah and once in a year, Muslims of every ethnic group, color, social status, and culture gather together in Mecca and stand before the Kaaba praising Allah together.