QUETTA – Pakistani businessman and philanthropist Javed Afridi has announced to bear the expense of the aged Pakistan shepherd who went viral after roaming in Masjid-e-Nabwi (PBUH) in a simple yet eye-catching attire.
Abdul Qadir Bakhsh, 82, who hailed from Hub Balochistan, grabbed attention of millions when his clip of walking in the courtyard of the Holy Prophet’s mosque went viral and even prompted a response from an adviser to the Saudi Crown Prince Turki Alalshikh.
Amid the buzz, Javed Afridi, in a tweet, said “Wonderful & will be glad if he accepts our offer to sponsor him for his Hajj Travels”.
Wonderful & will be glad if he accepts our offer to sponsor him for his Hajj Travels. https://t.co/JUEL3dfIAp
— جاوید آفریدی (@JAfridi10) April 25, 2023
Bakhsh, a shepherd from the country’s mineral-rich region, arrived back home last week after performing a pilgrimage for which he was saving for more than a decade. He belonged to a very humble background and does not even own a mobile, therefore, he did not watch his video which raked up millions of views.
Sharing his story with Arab News, the elderly man, who walks with a cane, said his all worries have vanished. He recalled his long-lasting wish to visit Islam’s holiest site which was now fulfilled.
هذا صاحب المقطع الشهير اسمه الحاج عبدالقادر بكستاني الجنسية : pic.twitter.com/AhUuXZb9di
— محمد الفيصل (@Mooh32a) April 20, 2023
Bakhsh said he was on the seventh sky when he first saw Makkah, saying all his prayers were answered when he made it to the Holy Kaaba.
During his stay in Saudi Arabia, Abdul Rehman Mehmandi, president of Marri Ittehad’s Saudi Arabia chapter, met Aliani in Saudi Arabia and congratulated him for his pilgrimage. Marri also saw Aliani off at Jeddah airport as he left for his homeland.
