38,000 pilgrims unable to perform Haj: Committee member

New Delhi, Nov 8 (UNI) For the first time, as many as 38,000 pilgrims from India will not be able to perform Haj, one of the five fundamental duties of Muslims, Central Haj Committee member Hafiz Naushad Azami today said.

Expressing anger over the government's ''inept handling'' of the Haj pilgrimage, Mr Azami, who also heads the All India Haj Sewa Sammitee, said the government could have accommodated all the 148,000 applicants by requesting Saudi Arabia to increase the quota from the present one lakh. The Saudi government had given permission to the Central Haj Committee to send 1,10,000. Earlier, it was stated that the Saudi government had agreed to allow another 10,000 Indian pilgrims to perform Haj this year Mr Azami also said that Haj flights were going to start from November 22. The flights, over a period of one month, will go directlly go to Medina.

He said the government should immediately intervene in this matter and take up the issue with the Saudi authorities to enable the remaining 38,000 pilgrims to perform Haj.

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