By News Agnecy of Kashmir,
Srinagar: First batch of 401 Hajj pilgrims on Sunday boarded two Air India flights from here to reach city of Jeddah where from they would proceed to the holy cities of Mecca and Madina.
The prospective Hajjis hailing from various areas of the Valley had reached Srinagar Hajj House yesterday for their onward Journey and securing necessary travel documents.
Amid reciting of Quranic verses, the pilgrims, gathered at the Hajj House where men and woman scheduled to undertake the holy pilgrimage for today were given a warm sent off by their relative.
The prospective pilgrims had long sessions of prayers at the Hajj House before leaving for the International Airport to board the flights for their onward Journey to Jeddah.
In the spiritually charged atmosphere, the relatives were greeting the prospective Hajjis for having the opportunity to accomplish the major duty obligatory upon a true practicing Muslim.
Moved by the occasion that has great importance for every Muslim, the relatives and friends were seen requesting the pilgrims to pray for them as they could also get the opportunity to visit Khana-e-Kaba once in their life. They also exchange good wishes with the pilgrims and asked them to pray for the people of state and their prosperity.
This year a total 67,030 persons from Jammu and Kashmir will perform Hajj for which Government, as per yearly routine, has arranged special flights direct from Srinagar to Jeddah. The flights will continue to operate daily for the next one month.
The first flight bringing back the pilgrims after the Hajj would reach here from Saudi Arabia on Dec 3.
The process for applying for undertaking the Hajj pilgrimage starts two months earlier and the district wise lists are issued by way of draw of lots. However, the final sanction is given only after close scrutiny of the papers by various agencies, including CID. In the process many hajj aspirants are also dropped whose names do not get the clearance of the state intelligence agencies.
This year also two hundred and fifty persons have been denied the travel documents as their names have not been cleared by the agencies.
Jammu Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who was also present to see off the first batch of Hajjis at Airport assures that he would ask the agencies to review names of 250 persons who have been denied the permission following ‘negative inputs’.
Every year hundreds of Hajj aspirants are denied permission due to ‘security reasons’ which legal experts say has nothing to do with the process.