Pilgrims appeal to PM as 42k can't make it for Haj

Minority affairs ministry Tuesday said 1,22,518 will travel to Saudi for Haj this year MUMBAI: Several Muslim pilgrims and community leaders have sought PM Narendra Modi's intervention after the minority affairs ministry confirmed that 42,000 applicants won't be able to perform Haj in June this year. On Tuesday, the ministry informed on X that 1,22,518 pilgrims will travel to Saudi Arabia through Haj Committee of India. Earlier, Haj slots for 52,000 pilgrims who had booked through private tour operators (PTOs), officially called combined Haj group operators (CHGOs), were cancelled after Saudi govt shut its Haj portal - Nusuk.

Saudi Arabia, following the ministry's intervention, has reopened the portal to allow only 10,000 of the 52,000 pilgrims. Congress MLA Amin Patel said several pilgrims have approached him with a request to do something about the cancellation. "I spoke to many tour operators who said they had booked pilgrims three months ago and now they are helpless," he added.



"I've appealed to PM Modi and others to speak to the highest authorities in Saudi as 42,000 is a huge number. If they are allowed to go for Haj in 2026, there will be a huge backlog," Patel added. The ministry of minority affairs has blamed PTOs for the situation, citing the alleged delay in uploading necessary documents and making payments on the Nusuk portal.

However, one of the CHGOs said the delay was caused because IBAN (International Bank Account Number) linked to Nusuk portal was inactive. "Since direct payment to Nusuk wallet was not happening, we were directed to pay through Haj Committee, which would send the money to the Consul General of India in Jeddah and they would send that money to the CHGOs' wallets," the operator explained..