The supervisor of the General Secretariat of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Program for Hajj and Umrah, Abdullah Al-Madlej, said that the “Communications” Center has received a flood of telephone calls from Qatari citizens to inquire about many issues related to the performance of the Holy Hajj.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, the Saudi official noted that a number of committees working in the Programs’ main locations that are dedicated to receiving guests in Makkah , have been contacted by Qatari citizens, who arrived in Saudi Arabia wishing to perform Hajj.
Madlej said that the number of Qatari pilgrims has not been completed for many reasons, including that the majority of GCC worshipers start coming to Saudi Arabia as of the fifth and sixth day of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, pointing out the difficulty of determining the exact number of Qatari pilgrims at the moment.
He noted, however, that 600 Qatari citizens have so far entered the Kingdom to perform the Hajj and to meet the invitation launched by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
The Saudi authorities have announced that the number of pilgrims, who crossed the Salwa border with Qatar, until Thursday, have reached 700.
All the sites were provided with the necessary equipment to receive the Qatari pilgrims, including 50 buses and small transport vehicles, Madlej said, adding that hotels in Makkah have also been specified to accommodate the worshipers.
He also stressed that immediately after the issuance of the order to host Qatari pilgrims at the expense of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs – the authority overseeing the program – has quickly completed all procedures in coordination and cooperation with the relevant authorities in the Kingdom.
The Saudi official said that the ministry had representatives in the port of Salwa, and others in Dammam, and Al-Ahsa, in order to provide the necessary services upon the arrival of Qataris to Saudi Arabia.
On a different note, Madlej said that King Salman has hosted 1000 families of martyrs from the Egyptian army and police during the current Hajj season, upon the request of the Saudi Embassy in Egypt.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques also hosted about 350 families of martyrs in the Sudanese army, who had participated in the “Decisive Storm” Operation.
