THE congregation of a large number of people at any one spot needs regulation through certain standard operating procedures and mechanisms for safety.

The annual gathering of Muslims at Makkah for Haj is the largest such coming-together in the world, and it was generally understood that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was doing everything that it could through its wealth and resources and its access to technology and knowledge to facilitate the pilgrims.

True, catering to the needs of some two million people at one location can never be a flawless exercise. But the double tragedies that have marked this year’s Haj, especially the fatal stampede at Mina that killed 769 people (independent news reports now place the figure at nearly 1,500), has eroded trust in the management capabilities of the Saudi authorities.

Take a look: Pemra warns against criticism of Saudi response to Mina tragedy

Clearly, despite the considerable resources the kingdom has invested in the pilgrimage proceedings, much more still needs doing — eyewitness accounts speak of the shortage of ambulances and medical staff, the absence of wheel-chair ramps and emergency SOPs, and the indifference of some of the wardens.

Together, they speak of too much being left to chance. And, as the horrified world has been reminded, disaster can strike at any time.

Oddly enough, unlike most other affected Muslim-majority states, Pakistan’s response to the tragedy has been one of indifference.

The perceived lack of agitation in governmental circles, despite the fact that, officially, the death of 89 Pakistanis has been confirmed by the religious affairs ministry while 43 remain missing, prompted opposition members to boycott Senate proceedings on Thursday.

Leader of the Opposition Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan went to the extent of calling the government callous. Indeed, other than routine protestations of grief and promises of compensation, the Pakistan government’s most visible move in the aftermath of the Mina tragedy has been for the electronic regulatory body, Pemra, to ask television channels not to direct criticism against Saudi Arabia.

Such inaction coupled with a head-in-the-sand approach to mismanagement of the pilgrimage is shocking. The government must not only take a proactive approach, it must be seen to be doing so.

For the Muslim world in general, this should provide the impetus to create a more active lobby for drastic improvements in the management of Haj proceedings.

While the statements put out by Iran in this regard have claimed headlines across the world, criticism of Saudi management has also come from countries such as Indonesia, Turkey, Lebanon and Senegal. The Nigerian house of representatives has called for a takeover of the investigation into the disaster. Whether that is possible or not, certainly the investigation announced by the Saudi government needs to be transparent, thorough and, above all, impartial.

The scale of the recent tragedy demands a strong response. After all, Muslims all over the world consider the Ka’aba their own.

Published in Dawn, October 10th , 2015

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