Srinagar: The first batch of Hajj pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir departed for Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
The batch, which comprised 178 pilgrims, was seen off by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at the Srinagar airport.
The LG interacted with the pilgrims and extended the pilgrims his best wishes, an official press release informed.
“I extend my heartiest greetings and felicitations to pilgrims undertaking the sacred Hajj journey. The divine pilgrimage is a call from the Almighty and a cherished and life-long dream. The central government is committed to ensuring the best possible arrangements for the well-being of pilgrims and their sacred pilgrimage,” Sinha said.
Abdullah, too, in a message on X, wished the pilgrims a fulfilling experience.
“Today, I had the honour of bidding a warm send-off to the first batch of 178 Hajj pilgrims from Sheikh-ul-Alam International Airport, Srinagar.
“Wished them a safe, fulfilling journey and humbly requested prayers for peace and prosperity in our region,” he said.
This year, around 3,622 pilgrims from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will go for the Hajj pilgrimage.
The Srinagar airport is scheduled to operate 11 flights between May 4 and May 15, facilitating approximately 3,132 Hajj pilgrims from J&K, and 242 from the Union Territory of Ladakh.
The pilgrims will be received by the Consulate General of India, Ministry of External Affairs, in Jeddah.
Dheeraj Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary; Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Vidhi Kumar Birdi, IGP Kashmir; Akshay Labroo, Deputy Commissioner Budgam, and members of J&K Hajj Committee, senior officers of Airport Authority, civil and police administration were present on the occasion.
