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bout 826 people died and another 934 people were injured during a recent stampede at the haj. This was the second incident of its kind which took a toll on human life after a big crane collapsed at the Grand Mosque. This year around two million Muslims were here for haj. To manage such a huge number of people is a big task for the Saudi authorities concerned. But these deaths depict bottlenecks in the management of the crowd.

Saudi authorities should take progressive steps to avert such tragedies in future. They should ensure the security and comfort of pilgrims. As the population is increasing rapidly, more people would gather for haj in coming years. It was a big lesson for Saudi authorities, so they should take preemptive steps for better security.

Zafar Ladhuka
Dawn/ANN/Lahore