Raja Syed Rather
Srinagar, Jun 23: A record number of pilgrims for the first time have left for the Hajj pilgrimage this year from Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Friday and that over 12,000 pilgrims have left to perform Hajj in 40 batches.
Details available reveal that a total of 12,067 pilgrims have left for the pilgrimage this year.
It is for the first time since the Jammu & Kashmir Hajj Committee (JKHC) was formed in 2008 that such a huge number of pilgrims have left for the pilgrims from the Union Territory of J&K.
Executive Officer, J&K Haj Committee (JKHC), Shujaat Ahmed Qureshi said that the 6,698 males and 5,369 females have left for the pilgrimage this year.
Additionally, 111 ladies without mahram have also gone to perform Hajj this year.
He said that the pilgrims have left for the pilgrimage in 40 batches including 38 from Srinagar and two from Mumbai.
Compared to previous year, the number of pilgrims has gone up by over 100 per cent as only 6,000 pilgrims had gone to perform Hajj in 2022, he said.
Notably, the first batch of pilgrims for Hajj-2023 from Jammu and Kashmir left for Jeddah on June 07, 2023.
He said that pilgrims will return back on July 17 from Madina.
It is worth to mention here that the Hajj was suspended for two consecutive years in wake of the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020 and 2021.
