No ‘outsider’ to perform Haj

LAHORE: (Web Desk) No Pakistani will be able to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj as the Saudi Haj ministry announced on Saturday that only 60,000 vaccinated residents of the kingdom will be allowed to perform Haj.

According to the Haj ministry only saudi nationals and residents of the kingdom, limited to 60,000, will be allwed for this year’s pilgrimage.

Media reported that the Haj which is scheduled to be held at the end of July, would be limited to those who have been vaccinated and are below 65 years of age with no chronic disease. It will be the second year in a row that the kingdom hosts a downscaled Haj amid the coronavirus pandemic.

On the other hand Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday received a telephone call from his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. According to the Foreign Office (FO), the Saudi minister apprised FM Qureshi about the challenges of organising Haj in 2021 and the policy measures taken by the kingdom in the interest of public health.

According to Foreign Office, “Qureshi conveyed his understanding of the situation and expressed confidence in the decisions taken in public interest by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.”