First Indian Haj Pilgrims Land in Saudi Arabia Safely

Post by: Omar Nasser

Photo : Instagram / @_kashmir_now

The first group of Indian pilgrims for Haj 2025 arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. They were warmly welcomed at Madina Airport by the Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Suhel Khan, and Consul General Fahad Suri. The Saudi Deputy Minister for Haj and Umrah, Abdulaziz A. Wazzan, and other important Saudi officials also joined to greet the pilgrims.

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This year, 1,22,518 pilgrims from India will travel for Haj. The first two flights, carrying 288 pilgrims from Lucknow and 262 pilgrims from Hyderabad, landed today. Kiren Rijiju, the Minister for Minority Affairs, shared the on social media and prayed for the safety and success of the pilgrimage.

The pilgrims were treated with great care as they arrived. They went through the entry process quickly and easily. Afterward, they were taken to their places to stay in Madina.

Minister Rijiju thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his leadership and commitment to making the Haj pilgrimage smooth and safe for Indian Muslims. He also mentioned that the government is working hard to ensure that every Indian Muslim has the opportunity to go on this sacred journey.

Because of these efforts, the number of pilgrims allowed to go from India has increased over the years. In 2025, India will have 1,75,025 spots for Haj, compared to 1,36,020 in 2014. The Haj Committee of India, under the Ministry of Minority Affairs, takes care of most of these arrangements, which means 1,22,518 pilgrims will go this year. The rest of the spots are given to private tour operators.

This year, Saudi Arabia changed some rules. Over 800 private tour operators were combined into 26 bigger groups called Combined Haj Group Operators (CHGOs). The Ministry of Minority Affairs gave these groups their spots early, so they had enough time to make all the necessary preparations.

However, some of the CHGOs failed to meet the deadlines to complete their arrangements. They didn’t finalize things like the Mina camps, accommodations, and transportation for the pilgrims. As a result, the space at Mina, an important place for Haj, filled up quickly.

Thanks to the help of the Indian government, the Saudi Haj Ministry agreed to reopen the Haj Portal (Nusuk Portal) for the CHGOs. This gave them a chance to finish their work for the 10,000 pilgrims who might have lost their chance to perform Haj due to missing paperwork.

Now, with all preparations in place, the journey for Indian pilgrims has begun smoothly. The governments of both India and Saudi Arabia have worked hard to make sure everything is ready for the pilgrims to carry out their religious duties.

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