409 Haj pilgrims leave Srinagar for Jeddah in two flights

Srinagar, Nov 24 (UNI) As many as 409 Haj pilgrims, including 162 women, from Jammu and Kashmir left here for Jeddah in two special flights today.

They were seen off at the Srinagar airport by Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir Bashrat Ahmed Dhar and other senior officials.

Yesterday, 213 pilgrims, including 105 women, had left here for Saudi Arabia to perform Haj this year.

Mr Dhar told UNI that two Haj flights would be operated from today till November 29. This has been done to advance the departure of those Haj pilgrims who were scheduled to leave for Jeddah after December 15, he added.

Mr Dhar said the state has been allotted an additional quota of 4000 and the process of getting passports and other documents required for their pilgrimage would start on a war-footing.

This was in addition to the already allotted quota of 6,674, he said, adding additional flights would be operated from December 9 to airlift the pilgrims to Jeddah.

As such, 10,674 pilgrims would be able to perform the Haj this year as compared to 9,200 in 2005.

UNI AG MIR HT1900