MOHAMMED RASOOLDEEN
COLOMBO- The first batch of Sri Lankan pilgrims left for Makkah in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday from the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayaka
This year the Saudi Arabian government allocated a quota of 1,585 Hajj pilgrims for Sri Lanka, however, due to the current economic crisis in the country and due to the demand for foreign currency dollars, the government has prepared a lot of some 960 pilgrims from Colombo.
The first group of 50 pilgrims from Colombo was sent by the Traveller Global, which is a popular Hajj Operator in Sri Lanka.
Speaking to Colombo Times at the airport, managing director of the Traveller Global Rizmi Reyal, who is also the head of the Sri Lanka Hajj Travel Operators Association said : “ All praise is due to Allah for the opportunity given for the Lankan pilgrims to perform Hajj this year.”
Reyal said that Sri Lanka could not send any Hajj pilgrim due to the pandemic attack on the island.He also thanked the government particularly, the Buddha Saasana and religious and cultural affairs minister Vidura Wickremanayake and director of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs Department Director Ibrahim Sahiub Ansar for the wonderful cooperation extended to the Muslims of Sri Lanka who came forward to perform their Hajj this year,
He said a good number of international carriers such as Qatar Airways Oman Air, Jazeerah and Air Arabia will be ferrying the Lankan pilgrims to and from Makkah.
Reyal said that he is going to participate in this year’s Hajj to invoke His blessings for the well-being of mother Lanka for its emancipation from this severe economic crises.
The last outgoing Hajj flight will be on July 3,Reyal concluded.
