Stranded Pakistani pilgrims start returning home from Iraq

Pakistani pilgrims who had been stranded in Iraq due to flight issues began their journey back home on Saturday.

The Foreign Office (FO) has indicated that the pilgrims are expected to arrive in Pakistan today.

Media images captured the pilgrims arriving at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.

The Pakistani pilgrims had gone to Iraq to participate in the Chelum commemoration, also known as Arbaeen, which marks the 40th day of mourning for Imam Husain (PBUH).

This year, almost 21 million people travelled to Iraq for the Arbaeen pilgrimage, which surged on Sunday with pilgrims showing their solidarity for Gaza.

However, according to news statement released by Foreign Office on Friday night it was stated that 654 Pakistani pilgrims were left stranded at the Baghdad airport “due to a technical fault with two aircrafts of Iraq Airways,” according to a news statement released by the FO late on Friday night.

The Foreign Office said “the return of these zaireen will likely to start tonight”, further adding that all stranded individuals will arrive Pakistan by August 31.

The first flight is scheduled to depart from Baghdad at 10 p.m. Iraqi time (12 a.m. Pakistani time), said FO.

The Foreign Office (FO) also reported that to ensure the safe return of the stranded Pakistanis, the foreign and aviation ministries, along with Pakistan’s embassy in Iraq, are coordinating with Iraqi authorities and Iraq Airways.

According to the FO, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has directed Hamid Abbas Lafta, Pakistan’s ambassador in Baghdad, to “oversee the stranded Pakistanis and facilitate their swift return.”

The statement further said the embassy had arranged a temporary stay for the pilgrims in Baghdad and provided them with meals.

In recent weeks, there have been multiple incidents involving buses transporting Pakistani pilgrims to and from Iran, resulting in at least 42 deaths.

A tragic collision between a bus and a truck near Neyriz, Iran, on Sunday night resulted in the deaths of at least three people and left 48 others injured. This incident came just days after another devastating crash in Yazd city, where 28 people lost their lives and 23 were injured.

On the same day, a separate bus accident on Pakistan’s Makran coastal route caused 35 injuries and resulted in at least 11 people lost their lives.