Kargil, May 04: The inaugural group of Hajj pilgrims from the Union Territory of Ladakh commenced their spiritual journey to Saudi Arabia on Sunday. The batch, consisting of 43 pilgrims from Leh district, was ceremoniously flagged off by Haji Mohd Ali Majaz, Chairperson of the Haj Committee for UT Ladakh, at the Tourist Facilitation Centre in Kargil. The pilgrims will travel to Srinagar before departing for the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Chairperson Majaz, accompanied by Committee Member Zaheer Hussain Babar, Accounts Officer Zakir Hussain, Haj Officer Haji Mohd Ali, and Haj Coordinator Habibullah, honored the pilgrims with traditional Khataks (ceremonial scarves) as a gesture of goodwill. Expressing his enthusiasm, Majaz stated, “It is a privilege to facilitate this sacred journey. Special arrangements have been made to ensure their travel from Ladakh to Srinagar is seamless and secure.”
Highlighting the phased departure plan, Majaz announced that the second batch of pilgrims will leave Kargil on May 5, followed by the final group on May 6. All 240 pilgrims from UT Ladakh are scheduled to board their flight to Saudi Arabia from Srinagar International Airport on May 9.
The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, sees millions of Muslims worldwide undertake the pilgrimage annually.
