Hajj Applications Declining Steadily In Jammu Kashmir; Official Explains Why
CEO J&K Haj Committee, Dr Shujaat Qureshi said that the rising inflation coupled with skyrocketing travel costs has made Hajj costly, reports Parvez ud Din.
Published : July 22, 2026 at 8:59 PM IST
Srinagar: The number of Hajj pilgrims from Muslim majority Jammu and Kashmir is on a steadu decline for the last few years with skyrocketing air tickets for the holy Muslim pilgrimage and an overall economic slump believed to be the major factors.
Official data have revealed that for the upcoming Hajj 2027, an estimated 4000 pilgrims have applied so far against a quota of 8000 allocated for J&K. Given the poor response by the aspiring pilgrims, the authorities extended the last date for submission of applications till July 24.
For Hajj 2026, too, only 4732 pilgrims embarked on the pilgrimage to the twin holy cities of Mecca and Madinah against the quota of 7,900. Likewise, the number of Hajj pilgrims had dramatically declined in 2025 when a meager 4300 Hajj applications were received against the quota of 8100 set by the Government of India. In 2024, only 7,800 applications were received against the allotted quota of 11,500 for the Union Territory that year as per data.
The dramatic decline in the number of Hajj pilgrims from J&K for the last few years comes as a stark contrast as compared to the 2023 season when the authorities had to go for 'Qurrah'(random selection of the applicants through draw) to select the pilgrims due to an overwhelming 14,500 applications. The rest had to rely on private operators as the quota was only 12,000.
According to the data, a total of 5232 applications were received from Jammu and Kashmir for Hajj 2026 by the Haj Committee of India, out of which 528 applications were rejected due to non-payment of the first installment and several other reasons.
Hajj was suspended in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why Are Hajj Applications Declining In J&K?
Dr Shujaat Qureshi, Executive Officer of Jammu and Kashmir Hajj Committee, told ETV Bharat that due to the fewer applications for Hajj 2027, the last date for submitting the application forms that began on June 20, has been extended to July 24, 2026.
While Hajj cost a pilgrim Rs 4,18,000 in 2026, the cost is further expected to rise in 2027 and may touch Rs 4,40,000, Qureshi said. Qureshi claimed that due to the development of the service sector in south India, the tendency of performing Hajj remains high there, while it is the opposite in East and North India where fewer applications are received. The poor response to applications prompts the Haj Committee of India to distribute the surplus quota among the states of south and west Indian states, he added.
Qureshi added that travel expenses in Jammu and Kashmir remain expensive compared to the rest of the states and UTs of the country.
“Since Srinagar airport is a defense airport, Gulf airlines cannot participate in tendering and local airlines compete with each other and when there is no competition, it is obvious that airfares increase. In contrast, in other parts of the country, Gulf airlines participate in the tendering process and, as competition becomes fiercer, airfares remain low,” he explained.
Besides inflation as a reason for the drop in Hajj applications, Qureshi said that the withdrawal of subsidies has further discouraged people from applying for the pilgrimage.
“After 2018, subsidies were abolished, as a result of which the cost has to be arranged at market rates and the entire burden of this falls on the pilgrims, while the appreciation of the Saudi Riyal against the Indian rupee is also considered a reason for the increase in expenses,” he said.
On the other hand, the trend of paying for 'Umrah'(the holy pilgrimage in non-Hajj months) in Jammu and Kashmir has increased considerably for many years. Tour and travel operators associated with Hajj and Umrah services say that since the Hajj expenses have become out of reach of most people, people are now giving preference to Umrah instead of Hajj.
They said that 10 to 15 thousand people go for Umrah every year since Umrah currently costs a maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh. Increasing taxes in Saudi Arabia and rising fuel prices have made Hajj more expensive than before for Muslims around the world. The issue is not limited to India or Jammu and Kashmir but is faced by almost every other country.
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