Srinagar, Apr 2: Hundreds of Hajj aspirants from Jammu and Kashmir are in a dilemma as uncertainty about quota announcement for Indian pilgrims aspiring to perform the holy pilgrimage this year looms.
Officials at the J&K Hajj office told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that so far there has been no official announcement from the Saudi authorities vis-à-vis Haj 2022. “Even though the Umrah is going on smoothly after an announcement made by the Saudi government in January this year, uncertainty continues to prevail on Hajj 2022 as there is no final quota announcement for India so far,” the official said.
Reports from Saudi Arabia suggest that the authorities there are still analyzing the Covid situation and the outlook for this year, the outcome of which is expected to guide the Hajj quota for countries.
J&K’s Hajj Officer Dr Abdul Salaam Mir said that all the preparations have been completed by them but an announcement from Saudi authorities is still anticipated. “We were expecting a quota announcement by March 1 but that got delayed”, he said.
“We have completed all the formalities from our end that includes registration of applications etc. So far 11000 applications have been received from Haj aspirations from J&K. At All India level, nearly 1,00,000 applications have been received from various States,” he said.
“Given the present improvement in the Covid situation across the globe, it seems that Haj 2022 will take place. Vaccination certificates for both doses are mandatory for every pilgrim undertaking journey,” he said.
Hajj is performed on the 10th day of Islamic month of Zilhaj which falls in July this year. Lakhs of Muslims converge in two holy cities of Makah and Madina to perform religious rituals. —(KNO)
