Kashmir Hajj Pilgrims Rue Transportation Of Baggage By Road; Minister Reacts

Srinagar: Kashmiri pilgrims have raised concerns over the enforcement of luggage limits and the decision of authorities to transport their belongings by road from Ahmedabad to Srinagar, rather than allowing them to take them on their flights.

According to the pilgrims, the Jammu and Kashmir Hajj Committee has released the fixed schedule of flights, but the decision to send the pilgrims' luggage by road would cause them hardships. They have threatened to boycott their return flights if the authorities fail to remove the curbs.

Kashmiri pilgrims in Saudi Arabia have said that they have been subjected to "exploitation and discriminatory treatment" and that there are entirely different sets of rules for them compared to those from the rest of the country.

"We have been told that instead of 40 kg luggage, only 35 kg will be allowed. But the fare collected from us was for 40 kgs. Now, strangely, we have been informed that our goods will be sent from Ahmedabad to Srinagar by road, which will cause trouble for us," said a pilgrim.

According to the pilgrims, their goods, which include dates that are considered sacred, will be sent to Srinagar by road, and they feared that the items would spoil due to delayed transportation. They have rued that since pilgrims belong to different districts of Kashmir, getting the luggage in Srinagar will be a cumbersome process, as they would not be able to carry it home on their arrival here.

Pilgrims also sought the intervention of the chief minister Omar Abdullah-led elected government in the matter, seeking that they should be freed from "mental anguish and distress." A Kashmiri pilgrim said that if the issue was not resolved, they would not board the planes and would rather hand over their luggage to the airport staff.

Reacting to the issue, the Minister for Education, Health & Medical Education and Social Welfare Sakina Itoo said that the government was keeping a close eye on the matter. “We are in constant touch with the concerned authorities to provide all possible facilities and support to the Hajj pilgrims,” she said.

Speaking to the media in Pulwama, Itoo said that the top priority of the government was that the Hajj pilgrims can complete their holy journey without any hassle and difficulty. “All necessary steps are being taken to resolve the problems faced by the pilgrims so that their journey can be made easy and comfortable in every respect,” she assured.

This year, a total of 4,704 people from Jammu and Kashmir went on the pilgrimage, and the number is slightly higher than that of last year. The number of pilgrims has witnessed a steady decline over the years.

In 2023, more than 14,500 applications were received for Hajj, and 12,000 people were cleared through random selection, but the available quota was less. In 2024, only 7,800 applications were received against the allotted quota of Rs 11,500. Similarly, for Hajj 2025, a total of 4300 Hajj requests were received on 8100 seats, whereas in this year, only 4704 people submitted applications on 7900 quota.

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