2024 Hajj: India’s First pilgrims arrive in Saudi Arabia

By Ajayi Sodiq

• India is sending a total of 175,025 pilgrims in this pilgrimage season

The first batch of Indian pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday to undertake this year’s Hajj, as the world’s most populous country set up special aircraft for the annual trip.

With more than 200 million Muslims, India boasts the world’s largest Muslim-minority population. According to the 2024 Hajj quota, 175,025 pilgrims will travel to Saudi Arabia for the spiritual journey, which is one of Islam’s five pillars.

This year’s Hajj is set to start on June 14 and end on June 19. While the trip can last five or six days, many pilgrims arrive early to take advantage of what could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to complete their religious duty.

One of the first Hajj flights for Indian pilgrims took out Thursday from New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.

“The flight carrying the first lot of 285 people took off at 2:20 a.m. on Thursday,” Kausar Jahan, head of the Delhi State Hajj Committee, told Arab News.

The Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Suhel Ajaz Khan, and his team welcomed the pilgrims in Madinah, as did the Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistics Service, Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, and the Saudi Vice Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Abdul Fattah Mashat.

“First flight of Indian Hajj pilgrims arrives in Madinah (and) receives a warm reception,” the Indian Hajj Mission in Jeddah wrote on Facebook. “With the arrival of the first flight … India’s Hajj 2024 has begun.”

A.P. Abdullakutty, chairman of the Hajj Committee of India, said several flights took off from different parts of India on Thursday.

“We have several embarkation points, and on May 9th, the first day of the Hajj flights, several planes will be taking off from at least 10 places across India,” he told Arab News.

The list of cities includes Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, and Srinagar, the capital of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, a Muslim-majority territory between India and Pakistan, both of which claim it in full and rule in part.
India’s Hajj contingent this year includes more than 4,000 women who will perform the Hajj on their own, without a mahram, or male guardian, Abdullakutty said.

They represent a group of women pilgrims who have been able to travel to Saudi Arabia alone since last year, following the Kingdom’s 2022 decision to lift a rule that required women to be accompanied by a mahram. Those who had no such companion could only travel in large groups of other women.

India’s preparations for this year’s Hajj were overseen by Muktesh K. Pardeshi, secretary of consular, passport, visa and overseas Indian affairs at the Ministry of External Affairs, who concluded an official visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

“During his visit, the secretary conducted a review of preparations for Hajj 2024 in Jeddah and Madinah,” the ministry said in a statement.
“He met with (Saudi) Vice Hajj Minister Dr. Abdul Fattah Mashat, and discussed logistical arrangements and infrastructure developments aimed at the welfare and comfort of pilgrims.”

SPONSORED

SPONSORED

SPONSORED