NEW DELHI: The government has decided that Muslims from India will not travel to
Saudi Arabia for
Haj 2020 after the kingdom conveyed that pilgrims should not be sent this year in the wake of the
coronavirus pandemic, Minority Affairs Minister
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Tuesday.
The decision was taken after Saudi Arabia's Haj and Umrah minister Mohammad Saleh bin Taher Benten telephoned last night and suggested not to send pilgrims from India for Haj this year, Naqvi told reporters.
Saudi Arabia on Monday said it has barred international visitors from making the
Islamic pilgrimage, in a bid to control the coronavirus pandemic. It said only a very limited number of people currently living in the kingdom may take part.
"This decision was taken to ensure haj is performed in a safe manner from a public health perspective," a Saudi government statement said.