Pakistan repatriates bodies of 28 pilgrims from Iran

– On Friday, Pakistan repatriated the bodies of 28 Shiite pilgrims who tragically lost their lives in a bus crash in Iran while en route to Iraq for a pilgrimage. A Pakistani military aircraft also transported 23 injured pilgrims back to Pakistan. The handover of the deceased took place earlier in Iran, where officials conducted prayer services before the bodies were flown to Jacobabad, approximately 1,000 kilometers from Islamabad. The coffins, draped in the national flag, were received by grieving relatives at Jacobabad airport, where emotional scenes unfolded as families mourned their losses. The crash occurred near Taft, Iran, with preliminary reports suggesting that brake failure and driver inattention may have contributed to the accident. A surveillance video showed the bus speeding into a dirt lot just before the crash, narrowly avoiding bystanders. Iran's traffic safety record is notably poor, with around 17,000 fatalities annually attributed to lax enforcement of traffic laws, unsafe vehicles, and inadequate emergency services in rural areas. The pilgrims were traveling to Iraq's holy city of Karbala to observe Arbaeen, a significant religious event marking the end of a 40-day mourning period for the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who was killed in the historic Battle of Karbala. The incident has drawn attention to the dangers faced by pilgrims and the need for improved road safety measures in the region.