Afghanistan Begins Sending 30,000 Pilgrims for Hajj to Saudi Arabia
The Taliban’s Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs has announced that the process of sending Hajj pilgrims from Afghanistan to Saudi Arabia has officially begun. This year, 30,000 Afghan pilgrims are scheduled to travel to perform the Hajj rituals in Saudi Arabia.
Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi, head of the ministry’s Hajj department, stated on Friday, April 16, during a meeting with airline officials and some of the first pilgrims, that the transportation of pilgrims will be carried out through a total of 96 flights. According to him, 15,000 pilgrims will be directly transferred to Medina through 46 flights, while the other 15,000 will be flown to the city of Jeddah.
He added that to improve services for the pilgrims, delegations from the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs have been sent to Saudi Arabia to coordinate arrangements related to accommodation and the organization of operational matters.
The interest of Afghan residents in performing the Hajj pilgrimage has always been high, and the selection process for pilgrims is conducted through a lottery system. However, in recent years, citizens have repeatedly called for greater transparency in the registration and lottery process — a demand that the Taliban administration is expected to seriously address to build trust.
Saudi Arabia prepares annually to host millions of Muslims in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and has recently facilitated ease of access for pilgrims from various countries, including Afghanistan.
