New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti has urged the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to ‘immediately’ intervene and take up the issue of the reported slashing of the private Hajj pilgrim quota for Indian pilgrims by a whopping 80% with the government of Saudi Arabia, LiveMint reported.“Disturbing news emerging from Saudi Arabia. Reports indicate that 80% of India’s private Hajj quota has been cut abruptly,” Mufti said in a post on X on Sunday, April 13.The sudden decision, Mufti added, has caused “immense distress for pilgrims and tour operators across the country”. Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, as well as National Conference president Farooq Abdullah have also urged external affairs minister S Jaishankar to engage with the Kingdom and explore a resolution in the interest of all affected pilgrims.Hajj is likely to be held between June 4 and June 9 this year, depending on the moon sighting that marks the beginning of Zil-Hajj, the final month of the Islamic calendar.Thousands of pilgrims embark on their journey to Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, two of the holiest cities in Islam. It ends with the celebration of Eid-ul-Adha.Mina, also known as the “tent city”, is where pilgrims spend 3 nights for the Hajj pilgrimage. According to the LiveMint report, For Indian pilgrims, the Hajj pilgrimage is conducted either through the Hajj Committee of India (HCoI), a statutory organisation under the administrative control of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, or through private tour operators, also known as Hajj group organisers (HGOs).In January this year, India secured a Hajj agreement with Saudi Arabia, confirming a pilgrimage quota of 1,75,025 for Indian pilgrims. “Hajj Agreement 2025 signed with Tawfiq Bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, Minister for Hajj and Umrah of Kindom of Saudi Arabia. Finalized a quota of 1,75,025 pilgrims from India for Hajj 2025. We are committed to providing the best possible services to all our HajJ pilgrims,” Union law minister Kiren Rijiju had said in a post on X in January.In 2024, nearly 140,000 Indians pilgrims went for Hajj, according to numbers provided by the Union government.Notably, the sudden suspension will not impact pilgrims from India who are travelling to Saudi Arabia strictly for Hajj and have secured Hajj visas. It will impact other visa-holding people who also plan to join the pilgrimage. This has reportedly been done to avoid overcrowding and prevent unauthorised individuals from performing Hajj without proper registration.
