AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): A commemorating gathering for Pakistani volunteers who served Arbaeen pilgrims has been held in Imam Reza shrine in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad under the auspices of the Deputy Office for International Affairs.
The gathering was held in Sheikh Tabarsi Hall of Islamic Research Foundation of the shrine, with some 85 volunteer servants from Pakistan, who served Arbaeen pilgrims on Rimdan and Mirjaveh border crossings, in attendance.
Speaking in the gathering, Hoj Mostafa Faghih Esfandiari, the Deputy for International Affairs, welcomed the Pakistani Arbaeen servants, affirming that Iran was their homeland as well.
“The significance of Arbaeen pilgrimage was attested by our impeccable Imams as a continuation of the awakening movement of Ashura”, said Hoj Faghih Esfandiari.
He added that “Imam Hussein’s movement on Ashura, in clear terms, was what all divine messengers had wished to do, and we must continue on the same path; that is, we need to do something to free people from ignorance”.
He stressed that terrorism, Zionism and the killing of Palestinian kids were all vile outcomes of widespread ignorance in the world today, and “we currently need Imam Hussein’s rationalism more than ever before”.
He further pointed to the difficult circumstances for Pakistani pilgrims to reach Iraq through Iran due to the long distance, and promised the resolution of some of the problems.
“The governor of Sistan and Baluchestan Province (southeast Iran), Pakistani benefactors and Imam Reza shrine have joined forces to offer a wide range of services such as communications, transportation, healthcare, etc. on Rimdan and Mirjaveh border crossings”, announced the Deputy for International Affairs.
He also talked about the establishment of a guesthouse for Pakistani pilgrims on the border region with donations from Pakistani benefactors, to which Imam Reza shrine has allocated a plot of land.
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