A high-level Indian delegation headed by federal External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna met with Minister of Haj Fouad Al-Farsy on Saturday and finalized the bilateral Haj agreement, a press statement from the Consulate General of India said on Sunday.
The high-level visit for discussing the agreement was the first in the history of bilateral relations. This signifies the importance India gives for Haj, the consulate said.
“More than 160,000 pilgrims are expected to perform Haj from India this year. In view of the large number of Indians applying for the annual pilgrimage, the minister made a special request to the minister of Haj for an additional quota of 40,000," a spokesman for the consulate said, adding that the additional quota is usually released close to the commencement of Haj.
Mohsina Kidwai, chairperson of the Haj Committee of India (HCI), and India's Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, outgoing Consul General Sayeed Ahmed Baba, Consul for Haj and Information B.S. Mubarak and other officials accompanied Krishna.
The total number of Indian Haj pilgrims this time will almost certainly be higher than last year's 171,000, including 126,000 who came through the HCI and 45,000 others brought in by private tour operators, a consulate official said. If the quota request is approved, India will rank second after Indonesia in terms of the number of Haj pilgrims.
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