The Saudi government is planning to take several relief measures for Indian citizens going on Hajj in Saudi Arabia. One of these is issuance of visa within 48 hours and stop over visa of 96 hours. Saudi Arabia’s Hajj and Umrah Minister Taufiq bin Fauzan Al-Rabiah has given this information today i.e. on Wednesday. Al-Rabiah has said that this initiative has been taken especially to provide a better experience to Indian Haj pilgrims during their journey. Al-Rabiah said this will especially benefit those female pilgrims who want to undertake the pilgrimage alone.
96 hour stop over visa
Indian citizens can easily travel to Saudi Arabia for business, tourism and to perform Umrah on Umrah visa. Minister Al-Rabiah also emphasized that Indians traveling to the West or the Middle East can now obtain a 96-hour stop over visa at the same time as the ticket issuance process. Under the stop over visa, Indian citizens in Saudi will be allowed to perform Umrah and visit any city of Saudi Arabia. Under this privilege, Indian people holding Umrah visa valid for 90 days will be allowed to visit any city of Saudi Arabia.
Umrah pilgrims going from India to Saudi are increasing
In this context, a senior minister of Saudi Arabia said that new steps like extending the visa for Umrah to 90 days and introduction of four-day transit visa have been designed to accommodate the increasing influx of Indian pilgrims. He said that this will help in promoting gender equality and creating a safe as well as more inclusive environment. It is noteworthy that Al-Rabiah, who was on a visit to India, had talked to Union Minority Minister Smriti Irani and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday.
Relations between the two countries will strengthen
Al Rabia said that the number of Umrah pilgrims from India is continuously increasing. This figure will exceed 1.2 million in 2023. He said that this new facility will further strengthen the relations between the two countries. Apart from this, Al Rabia said that discussions are also being held on increasing the options of direct flights between the two countries. He said that three new visa centers will also be opened in India. It is noteworthy that millions of Muslims from all over the world go to Mecca every year to perform Hajj as well as the Islamic pilgrimage Umrah.
Courtesy: Language Input