Minister Zulkifli Hasan confirms government will facilitate the return of 36 Malaysian Umrah pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia due to missing flight tickets
TANJONG MALIM: The government will help bring home 36 Umrah pilgrims reportedly stranded in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan confirmed he had received information about the incident and was verifying the details.
“InsyaAllah, they will be assisted and will return safely,” he told reporters. Local media had earlier reported that the pilgrims were stranded for not having return flight tickets and had urged their travel agency to expedite arrangements.
On this year’s haj quota, Zulkifli said Malaysia was still awaiting a response from the Saudi Arabian government regarding its previous request for an additional quota.
“The decision on any quota increase lies solely with the Saudi Arabian government,” he said.
He added that there has been no response so far, and it is unsure when approval will be granted.
Zulkifli was previously reported as saying that the government expects the number of Malaysian haj pilgrims to increase in the future.
The current quota allocated by Saudi Arabia for Malaysia stands at 31,600 pilgrims.
Malaysia has submitted a formal request for an additional quota to accommodate more pilgrims.
