TEHRAN – Certified foreigners and refugees living in Iran can take part in Albain’s pilgrimage without any problems, the Home Minister said.
The pilgrimage to Albain, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, takes place 40 days after the anniversary of the martyrs of Imam Hussein (AS) and the grandson of Ashura, the third Shiite Muslim Imam, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Every year, a large number of people flock to Kalbala, where the sacred shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) performs mourning rituals.
They can also provide health insurance, but the undocumented citizens will not receive any service, the IRNA quoted Ali-Akbar Pourjamshidian as saying.
The country will also support Pakistani and Afghan pilgrims who wish to attend this year’s ritual. They will be allowed to enter the country with vehicles to pass through the border, officials added.
A total of 717,658 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan from the beginning of the current Iranian year on March 21 to June 27th. Over 80% of them were sent voluntarily.
According to the head of the National Immigration Agency at Nader Yar-Ahmadi, there was no residency and the type of services offered to documented Afghans living in the country.
On the contrary, as illegal citizens leave the country, they will benefit from more services, the IRNA reported.
“The majority of these citizens are employees or students. We usually see employment as the basis for residential use in long-term planning,” the IRNA quotes Yar-Ahmadi.
Officials went on to say that the presence of illegal immigrants in any country poses many challenges and that in critical circumstances they will become the main suspects. Their presence has a negative impact on the economy, society and the security sector.
Global experience shows that at best immigrants can make up 3% of the population of any country. Iran’s population is estimated to reach around 90 million next year, which means that 3 million migrants. Currently, the country has over 6.1 million citizens and should gradually decrease, Yar-Ahmadi added.
5th Intel. Congress on “Albain’s Health”
The 5th International Conference on Health in Arbaeen was held in Tehran from May 26th to 27th, with six countries taking part in the event.
This year’s event brought together participants and 24 international lecturers from Italy, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, the Netherlands and the UK, the IRNA reported.
“The main goal of the Congress is to make doctors on the Albain pilgrimage familiar with health care and treatment issues. It mainly focuses on endemic diseases that could be spread by Afghan and Pakistani pilgrims passing Iran towards Iraq.”
They also discussed guidelines for the treatment of skin, musculoskeletal, and other diseases, as well as medications and medical devices needed.
Just like the previous year, medical universities at the border will take precautions to monitor infections.
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