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I was meant to cover the #Hajj this year for the BBC, but logistical issues / tensions in Asia meant I couldn’t.. still I wanted to share with you the beautiful story of one pilgrim.. this is Talib Jan, a poor shepherd from northern Pakistan: He saved up for 6 years to go on Haj 
Talib Jan is from the Diamer region, I’ve been there and it’s beautiful, but also very remote.. in his whole life he had never once left the mountains around his village... we met in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad as he prepared to fly to Saudi. It was his first time away from home
I asked him if he was afraid to be getting on an plane to a faraway country? He told me the first time he saw a picture of the Great Mosque in Makkah he was terrified, and was sure he would get lost.. but then local religious scholars had reassured him God would look after him
Talib Jan’s travel to Saudi is subsidised by a Pakistani Govt scheme... but he still had to pay part and it wasn’t easy. He told me for 6 years he gradually sold off his herd of goats to soldiers posted nearby, and saved the money in a small tin at home...
This year he was accepted on the Govt subsidy scheme, but the cost had risen... it meant he could only afford to go on Hajj himself - and couldn’t take his wife... he seemed heartbroken by this... that he couldn’t share this wonderful experience with his life companion 💔
But nonetheless he told me going on the Hajj was a dream come true... raising the money for many pilgrims is not easy... but for many poor people from developing countries this is the only trip abroad they will ever make, and one they can only manage to do in old age
I was planning on meeting Talib Jan again in Makkah, and filming his reaction to seeing the Kaaba... unfortunately I couldn’t make it... but if anyone bumps into him there give him and hug from me and send my salams 💚
Ps video of his interview in Islamabad is with my colleague @MalikMudassir2 who is busy spending Eid on assignment... when he returns we will try and upload some of it...
