The Saudi Arabia government has agreed to reopen Haj portal for the Combined Haj Group Organisers (CHGOs) to accommodate 10,000 more Indian pilgrims, the Centre said on Monday.
After Saudi Arabia reportedly cancelled a significant portion of India’s Haj quota for 2025 impacting 52,000 Indian pilgrims, the “Government of India engaged with Saudi authorities at multiple levels, including ministerial”, the Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) said in a post on X. As a result of these efforts, the Saudi Haj Ministry agreed to reopen the official Haj management portal known as the Nusuk Portal for CHGOs to complete arrangements for 10,000 pilgrims based on the remaining space available in Mina, said the ministry.
MoMA also directed all CHGOs to act immediately and finalise the necessary processes, while also hoping that Saudi authorities may consider accommodating additional pilgrims, should further space become available.
According to a bulletin by the Press Information Bureau released on Tuesday, India had been allocated a total Haj quota of 175,025 pilgrims this year—an increase from 136,020 in 2014—owing to consistent diplomatic engagement with Saudi Arabia. Of this, the Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA), through the Haj Committee of India, was assigned 122,518 slots, for which all required arrangements—flights, accommodation, transport, and Mina camp logistics have already been completed under Saudi regulations.
The remaining quota was designated as per tradition to Private Tour Operators (PTOs). However, a major restructuring took place this year, with over 800 PTOs consolidated into 26 Combined Haj Group Operators (CHGOs) following updated Saudi guidelines. Despite being allocated quotas well in advance these CHGOs reportedly failed to meet key deadlines for finalising important contracts, including for accommodation, transport, and Mina camps an essential requirement under Saudi law.
The Saudi Ministry of Haj and Umrah raised safety concerns, particularly regarding the accommodation of pilgrims in Mina which is a critical site where rituals are performed under challenging summer conditions in limited space, PIB reported. Due to the CHGOs’ delays, available space in Mina became fully occupied, prompting Saudi authorities to stand firm on not extending timelines for any country this year.
Political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir had voiced serious concern over the cancellation. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah urged swift action from the central government.
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“The reported cancellation of Haj slots for over 52,000 Indian pilgrims, many of whom have already completed payments, is deeply concerning. I urge the Hon’ble Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar to engage with the Saudi authorities at the earliest to explore a resolution in the interest of all affected pilgrims. This measure is crucial to ease the distress of thousands hoping to undertake the sacred pilgrimage this year,” Abdullah said in a post on Instagram.
Haj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and every Muslim is supposed to undertake the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime, according to the Quran.
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