ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs said on Thursday it had launched an emergency response training program for Hajj support staff called Moavineen to equip them with first aid and civil defense skills ahead of this year’s pilgrimage.

The sessions, underway at Islamabad’s Haji Camp, include hands-on instruction in CPR, crowd management and life-saving techniques.

The initiative is part of broader preparations for Hajj 2025, when nearly 90,000 Pakistanis are expected to travel to Saudi Arabia under the government scheme.

“Expert trainers from Rescue 1122 Islamabad are conducting the sessions, providing hands-on instruction and practical demonstrations to the participants,” the ministry said in a statement.

“All selected Moavineen for this year’s Hajj operations are undergoing the training,” it continued. “The program is designed to equip them with essential life-saving skills and emergency response techniques to ensure the safety and well-being of Pakistani pilgrims during their stay in Saudi Arabia.”

The ministry said the training aims to strengthen the capacity of Moavineen to respond to medical emergencies and other challenges that may arise during the annual pilgrimage, including heat-related illness and large crowd movement.

Pakistan has been allocated a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for Hajj 2025, with the first government-arranged flight to Saudi Arabia scheduled to depart on April 29.

The Hajj rituals are expected to take place between June 4 and June 9, subject to moon sighting.

Authorities have also launched mandatory pre-departure workshops across the country to educate pilgrims on health precautions and Saudi laws and customs during their stay.

KARACHI: In a small building in Karachi’s low-income and densely populated Baldia Town area, 16-year-old Talha Ahmed is busy recording new content for his Instagram channel. His videos have recently been a hit with millions of people, partly due to his stellar acting and partly due to the relatable themes he employs.
Ahmed is a content creator who started making humorous skits in July 2024 and has amassed over 324,000 followers after uploading around 116 of them. A recent video of his, poking fun at the way India’s Bollywood film industry stereotypes Muslims, has notched over 20 million views.
Despite being shot on just a cellphone, without the support of a professional camera or tripod, his skits have the necessary ingredients to evoke bone-tingling laughs: strong scripts, meticulous acting and perfect dialogue delivery.
“My idea was to create content that families can also enjoy together, something that’s for everyone and can be watched with joy by all,” Ahmed told Arab News in a recent conversation.
His content is indeed relatable. In one of his videos, Ahmed essays the character of that one family member who does not wake up for the suhoor meals in Ramadan and does not fast, but eagerly shows up before everyone else for the evening iftar meal.
In another, he takes aim at popular journalist and television host Suhail Warraich, expertly blurting out dialogues in his signature impassive tone.
One particular video Ahmed enjoyed making focused on the behavior of tailors ahead of Eid Al-Fitr. The Pakistani content creator poked fun at tailors who habitually lie to customers about their orders.
“’No, brother, there’s still an issue... the outfit is out for buttoning,’” Ahmed said, mimicking the typical excuses offered by Pakistani tailors.
‘GREAT SKILL, CREATIVE MIND’
Talha’s creative process is largely self-driven.
“Almost all scripts and ideas for my videos are my own,” he said.
He wrote many of the videos he shot himself, while for others, Ahmed wrote a few lines and then showed them to his family for their feedback.
“If they wanted to refine it or make any improvements, they helped me with that,” he explained.
Dr. Taha Ahmed, his brother, helps record the videos and improves the writing in them as well. He recalled how Ahmed recorded some of the earlier videos when he didn’t even own a mobile phone.
“Some days, he would use his sister’s phone to make videos and other days, he would use his brother’s phone to create content,” Dr. Taha told Arab News.
“That is a testament to his great skill and creative mind.”
Talha said his ability to connect with the audience stems from the fact that he lives with the same ground realities they do.
“The issues I face are the same as those faced by other people,” he explained. “These are relatable, and people can connect with them because we live in the same society that others live in.”
Talha balances his growing online career with his education, having completed his matriculation exams recently.
He suffers from thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder that requires regular transfusions and management since childhood.
However, he doesn’t let the disease define who he is.
“Today, praise be to Allah, my work is my identity— my illness is not my reference,” he said.