The Haj Committee for UT Ladakh organized an orientation/training program on May 8th at Sindhu Sanskriti Kendra Leh, for the Haj pilgrims provisionally selected from the Leh district for the year 2023. Member of Parliament for Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, attended the event as the chief guest.
It was announced that a total of 475 Haj applications were received from UT Ladakh for Haj Pilgrimage 2023, and in a historic achievement, all 475 applications were approved by the Ministry of Minority Affairs, which is the nodal ministry for conducting Haj pilgrimage in India.
During the event, MP JTN congratulated the Haj pilgrims for being selected and achieving one of the five tenets of Islam. He expressed his appreciation for the formulation of the UT Ladakh Haj Committee as per the wishes and aspirations of the Muslim community in Ladakh, and praised the efforts of the Haj Committee Ladakh, led by President Mohd Ali Majaz, in facilitating the entire Haj Pilgrimage process. He also acknowledged the central government’s approval of all the 475 Haj applicants from Ladakh as a remarkable achievement for the newly formed Haj Committee of UT Ladakh, and assured that the Committee would continue to work hard to serve the Muslim communities of the region.
Executive Councillor for Minority Affairs, Ghulam Mehdi, conveyed his best wishes to the Haj pilgrims and commended the hard work and dedication of the Haj Committee UT Ladakh in streamlining and facilitating the Haj pilgrimage processes. He also appreciated the Committee’s decision to provide training to the Haj pilgrims from Nubra in the sub-division itself.
The orientation/training program was conducted by Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohd Ali, who provided the Haj pilgrims with comprehensive information on topics such as vaccination, Covid protocols, required medical documents, accommodation, touring, transportation, and communication facilities, foreign currency exchange, as well as disaster management measures. The program also focused on the various religious rituals to be observed while undertaking the pilgrimage at different and important religious sites.
President of the Haj Committee UT Ladakh, Mohd Ali Majaz, and its members, Councillor Mirza Hussain and Nazir Ahmed, also shared their thoughts during the event. They discussed the work of the Haj Committee, the challenges it faced, and the commitment to resolve issues in the future and to build upon the experiences learned in this year’s Haj Pilgrimage process.
The orientation program was attended by Ulemas and religious heads of different sects, Presidents of religious organizations, Presidents (Women wing) of religious organizations, and the provisionally selected Haj pilgrims from different parts of Leh.
