* VivekaJyoti *: Haj pilgrims' passports won't require police verification

• * VivekaJyoti *: Haj pilgrims' passports won't require police verification

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  • "The police verification for Haj pilgrims has been waived off. The decision was taken keeping in mind the difficulties in issuance of passports to pilgrims in a short span of two months," said Mohd Owais, the Chief Executive Officer of Haj Committee of India, in the national capital.

    The issue of Haj passport for Saudi Arabia will be valid for eight months only and this will not be renewed.
  • "If there is no adverse reports, pilgrims will get their passports," Owais said, adding the Haj Committee has received around 3.57 lakh applications this year from devotees who want to perform Haj this year.

    
    

    "The Haj Committee has a quota of 1.04 lakh while the private sector has a quota of 45,000. The rest is that of government quota," Owais said.

    
    

    The decision to issue passports came in the backdrop of Saudi Arabia insisting that the pilgrims should carry international passports.