An Oldhamer who was invited to the House of Commons has spoken about his trip to Pakistan, where he helped to feed more than 60,000 people over Ramadan.

Naseeb Abbas, 33, grew up in Glodwick and was invited to the House of Commons in March to lead the first ever call to prayer in the House of Commons.

Naseeb, who works as a nasheed artist, returned from Pakistan this month after helping to feed thousands of people by providing families with 60 kg (132 lbs) food parcels to help feed families for a whole month.

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Earlier in April, Naseeb visited Mirpur, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.

Naseeb spoke of the reaction he received as he helped to give out food and even wheelchairs.

He said: “They were grateful. That’s the most important thing. They were praying for the people of the UK – they had hope.

“The economy in Pakistan has gone really, really down. It has tumbled down to a point where the political crisis in Pakistan has gone to a whole new level. It’s become dire.

“Because of that, there’s a lot more people who are under the poverty line.

“People have really struggled to make ends meet, and for us to do what we did, we provided 50/60kg food parcels, for a family of five.”

Naseeb says the parcels would feed a family of five for a whole month.

The Oldham Times: Naseeb AbbasNaseeb Abbas (Image: Naseeb Abbas)

Pakistan was devastated by floods last year, which saw millions require humanitarian assistance to recover from the devastation.

More than 30m were thought to be affected by the floods, and 1,700 lives were lost.

As a nasheed artist, Naseeb says his schedule is "jam-packed" as he sings at weddings and events, helping him gain tens of thousands of followers on social media.

His charity work started around six years ago, after a friend suggested they travel to Jordan to do charity work.

Since then Naseeb has helped to raise more than £5m for various charity appeals, and was a finalist for the 2022 Pride of Britain Awards.

His following and talent led to him leading a call to prayer at an event organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for British Muslims.

Naseeb called the Adhan, or call to prayer, and led members of both houses in prayer on March 29.

Naseeb said: “It was a grand building. It was a momentous occasion and a momentous moment for me.

“It’s something I won’t forget for the rest of my life, to be honest.

“The building itself has got so much history, and I remember walking through the galleries and I was looking at the different paintings and the history of the building, it was screaming out to you.

“This is the building that has made decisions for the world, and I’m in this building. It was a momentous occasion, crazy.”