Turkey fulfils Ghana villager’s Haj dream thanks to social media

Agencies

August 21, 2017

Istanbul, Aug 21: Al-Hassan Abdullah, a poor Ghanaian villager whose story went viral on Turkish social media when he asked a TV crew if "a drone can take him to Mecca" will travel to the Muslim holy land courtesy of the Foreign Ministry and charities.

Abdullah had naively asked a Turkish film crew flying a drone with a camera in his village in Ghana if they had "a bigger one of this that would take him to [Saudi Arabia]" where millions of Muslims go every year for the hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage. As his story went viral on social media, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu intervened and helped arrange a hajj journey for Abdullah, who is impoverished. He arrived in Istanbul from Accra on Friday and was welcomed by a Turkish charity whose work focuses on Ghana.

Abdullah told Anadolu Agency (AA) he was pleased to be in Istanbul and it was God who blessed him with this favor from Turkey. "I am grateful to God and I pray to everyone who helped this dream come true. Turkish state's assistance is valuable for me and I believe this will help improve friendship, brotherhood between Muslims," he said.

Cihad Gökdemir, deputy chairman of the charity who welcomed Abdullah at the airport, said Abdullah's story made the headlines after a TRT World employee tweeted the image. "Then, people started to seek a way to reach out to him, from businesspeople to companies. Finally, a Turkish police officer from Turkish embassy in Ghana contacted him. He is grateful to Turkish people," Gökdemir said.

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Pak jail authorities say Imran Khan is alive and healthy after ‘murder’ rumours spark panic

News Network

November 27,2025

Authorities at Pakistan’s high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Wednesday dismissed speculation about the condition of imprisoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, rejecting rumours that he had been moved out of the facility or was in danger. Officials said Khan was in “good health” and described the viral death claims as “baseless.”

“There is no truth to reports about his transfer from Adiala Jail,” the Rawalpindi prison administration said in a statement, according to Geo News. “He is fully healthy and receiving complete medical attention.”

Amid swirling rumours on social media, Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), urged the federal government to issue an official clarification and demanded that authorities allow his family to meet him immediately, Dawn reported.

The frenzy began after Khan’s three sisters called for an impartial probe into what they described as a “brutal” police assault on them and other PTI supporters outside Adiala Jail last week. Soon after, several social media handles circulated unverified claims alleging that Khan had been “killed” inside the prison.

The rumours intensified when a handle named “Afghanistan Times” claimed that “credible sources” had confirmed Khan’s “murder” and that his body had been moved out of the jail — allegations that have not been verified by any credible agency.

Imran Khan, PTI’s patron-in-chief, has been lodged in the Rawalpindi prison since August 2023 in multiple cases. For over a month, an undeclared restriction has prevented family members and senior PTI leaders from meeting him. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has reportedly been denied access despite making seven attempts.

In a letter to Punjab Police Chief Usman Anwar, Khan’s sisters — Noreen Niazi, Aleema Khan, and Dr. Uzma Khan — said they were “peacefully protesting” outside the jail when police allegedly launched an unprovoked assault after streetlights were switched off.

“At 71, I was seized by my hair, thrown to the ground and dragged across the road,” Noreen Niazi said, alleging that other women present were also slapped and manhandled.

Adiala Jail officials reiterated that speculation over Imran Khan’s health was unfounded and insisted that his well-being was being ensured, Geo News reported.

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