Hajj Committee cancels application for Hajj this year

SRINAGAR — In view of the decision by Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Hajj Committee of India on Tuesday cancelled all applications for the Hajj this year.

“The Ministry of Haj & Umrah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia issued a statement informing that due to Corona pandemic conditions, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has decided to allow citizens and residents inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia only to attend Haj 1442 in limited numbers. International Haj has been cancelled,” read a circular issued Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Maqsood Ahmed Khan.

“Hence, it has been decided by the Haj Committee of India that all the applications for Haj-2021 stands cancelled,” the circular, adds. The annual pilgrimage starts from mid-July.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia had said that this year’s Hajj pilgrimage will be limited to no more than 60,000 people, all of them from within the Kingdom, due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.