Srinagar, Apr 15: Amid mounting anxiety among Hajj pilgrims intending to go through private Hajj Group Operators (HGOs) this year, the Jammu & Kashmir Association of Hajj & Umrah Companies (JKAHUC) on Tuesday raised alarm over the reduction of India’s private Hajj quota from 52,000 to just 10,000, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and prevent the cancellation of thousands of pilgrims.
Addressing a press conference here in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir Association of Hajj & Umrah Companies (JKAHUC) president Sheikh Feroze, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), called upon the Government of India to immediately intervene and resolve the crisis surrounding the reduction of the Hajj quota for private tour operators.
The Association during the presser revealed that over 52,000 pilgrims across India, including at least 3,000 from Jammu & Kashmir, are at risk of being dropped from the pilgrimage due to non-compliance-related forfeiture of the original quota by the Saudi government.
Feroze said that despite completing bookings and payments, they were informed that the original quota of over 52,000 had been forfeited and replaced with a drastically reduced quota of just 10,000.
The JKAHUC president said that the Saudi authorities cited ‘non-compliance’ in the process, stating that the matter should be thoroughly investigated but not at the cost of pilgrims, who have been preparing for Hajj for years.
“This is not a matter of 52,000 people, it is about 52,000 families whose dreams and decades of savings are on the line,” Feroze said, appealing directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar, and the Ministry of Minority Affairs to take urgent diplomatic steps with Saudi authorities to restore the original quota.
JKAHUC questioned the reduced quota, questioning the fair distribution and raising ethical and logistical concerns. “If an operator has bookings for 100 pilgrims and is now told to take only 20, how do we choose who goes and who gets left behind. We can’t take that burden,” the Association said.
The Association, however, assured that all deposited money is safe and can be refunded if required but said the focus must remain on ensuring no pilgrim is denied the opportunity.
“This is a humanitarian and religious issue. Many of these pilgrims are elderly and may not be able to make the journey next year,” the JKAHUC president said.
Notably, the crisis comes as the Ministry of Minority Affairs confirmed through an official communication that the revised quota stands at only 10,000 for private tour operators.
JKAHUC also clarified that while it acknowledges the 10,000 quota allocation; it was unable to manage the fallout fairly and demanded the Centre work swiftly to restore the full allotment in collaboration with the Saudi authorities—(KNO)
