ISLAMBAD, AUGUST 6: Ministers in India have hailed a Pakistani national for saving the lives of about seventeen Indian pilgrims who were in serious danger during this year’s Hajj in Makkah because of the intense heat.
Asif Bashir, a 32-year-old Peshawar native who oversees databases for the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was also participating in the Hajj on a volunteer basis to aid travelers. Offering water and life-saving medications, as well as carrying some pilgrims on his shoulder for three or four kilometers, he showed incredible bravery and compassion.
About twenty-six pilgrims, including seventeen Indians, were saved from certain death by Bashir after they passed out from the intense heat. His gallantry in Saudi Arabia was acknowledged by Indian authorities.
In letters to Bashir, Indian Ministers for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijju and Women and Child Development Smriti Irani praised his extraordinary humanitarian character, saying, “Your dedication, compassion, and unwavering commitment to serving the pilgrims have been truly commendable.”
In a letter that Bashir shared with APP, Kiren Rijju wrote, “I am particularly impressed by your remarkable act of kindness and bravery in providing first aid and transporting patients to the hospitals on your shoulder when ambulances and medical staff were occupied.” The minister said, “Many will be inspired to follow in your footsteps by your actions and bravery.”
As pilgrims made their way back from Mina to Makkah, Bashir related to APP what happened during a terrible heatwave that engulfed the city. Bashir acted quickly in the middle of the confusion and fear, with many pilgrims from Egypt, Pakistan, and India who were unconscious.
He remained unwavering in the face of chaos, giving 350–400 pilgrims ORS and drinking water. “My entire effort was aimed at serving humanity by saving those in critical condition during the rescue; I did not discriminate against the nationality of the person I was helping,” Bashir said.
