PUTRAJAYA, Feb 27 — Malaysia has conveyed a request to Saudi Arabia for a higher haj quota of 31,950 pilgrims next year in line with the increase in the country’s population, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar.
Mohd Na’im said he conveyed the request during a meeting with Saudi’s Haj and Umrah Minister Dr Tawfiq Fawzan Al-Rabiah today, who is on a three-day working visit to Malaysia.
“Insya-Allah, this matter will continue to be discussed further. In fact, His Excellency (Tawfiq) has stated his commitment to giving due consideration to our request,” he told a press conference after the meeting at his office here.
The haj quota for Malaysia has been set at 31,600 pilgrims for this year’s haj season.
Meanwhile, Tawfiq, in his speech, said the Saudi government welcomed the arrival of Malaysian haj and umrah pilgrims to the Holy Land and assured that it would continue to improve various facilities to ensure the comfort of the pilgrims.
The Saudi government also plans to increase flights from Malaysia to the Kingdom from 49 to 70 per week, he said in his speech translated by senior director of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) Abdul Karim Zakaria.
Tawfiq also expressed his appreciation for Malaysia’s various initiatives and efficiency in managing haj and umrah operations to facilitate the affairs of its citizens in the Holy Land.
At the same, he said a new application called Nusuk had been launched for the convenience of haj and umrah pilgrims from all over the world.
The multilingual application that can be downloaded from Google Play Store and Apple App Store is equipped with various information and facilities related to haj and umrah pilgrimage matters. — Bernama
