Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): The first batch of 315 pilgrims for Hajj 2023 from Kashmir is being flagged off from Srinagar International Airport on Wednesday afternoon, officials said. An official said that the first batch of 315 pilgrims will take off at the Srinagar airport for Jeddah in a special flight at 3 pm in the afternoon.
A second batch of as many Hajj pilgrims will leave for Jeddah at 5:00 PM. The first batch of the pilgrims for Hajj 2023 was flagged off from the Hajj House Bemina towards Srinagar airport early today morning by Chairperson Jammu and Kashmir Hajj Committee, Safina Baig in presence of other officials from the civil administration.
Special check-in counters have been set up at the Hajj house while separate cabins have been set up at the Srinagar airport for wearing the 'Ahraam', the special white cloth worn by Hajj pilgrims. This year, more than 138,000 pilgrims from India are going to perform Hajj, including about 12,000 pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, hundreds of the pilgrims' relatives were seen bidding farewell to their near and dear ones for the holy pilgrimage amid chants of Islamic slogans. As for the pilgrims, they seemed to be content with the arrangements put in place by the administration. However, the pilgrims were left to fend for themselves in exchanging the currency previously provided by the Jammu and Kashmir Hajj Committee.
Strict security arrangements were made for the departure of the pilgrims, while additional security personnel were deployed along the airport road besides the Haj House. The last batch of pilgrims will leave for Hajj on Jun 21 while the first batch of pilgrims will return after performing Hajj on 13th July and last batch on 2 Aug.
