Srinagar, Apr 18 (KNO): The number of pilgrims heading for Hajj from Jammu and Kashmir has seen a sharp decline in recent years, with official figures revealing a 70 per cent drop over the past two years compared to 2023.
Only 3,624 pilgrims from the region are set to embark on the sacred journey in 2025, down from 7,008 pilgrims who performed the pilgrimage last year.
Officials, speaking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), cite a combination of factors behind the decline, including the rising cost of travel after the removal of government subsidies, the absence of foreign airlines in this year’s Hajj operations, and increasing concerns about extreme summer temperatures in Saudi Arabia.
In addition to the pilgrims from J&K, 242 individuals from Ladakh are also scheduled to travel for Hajj this year. Flights from Srinagar International Airport are expected to begin on May 4 and will continue until May 15.
A total of 13 flights are planned from Srinagar, while one additional flight carrying 440 pilgrims will depart from New Delhi, according to the officials.
Looking at the recent trend, the decline is part of a broader pattern. In 2023, 12,079 pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir undertook the pilgrimage.
That number fell by 42 per cent in 2024, and this year, it has dropped further by around 48 per cent. Overall, the region has witnessed a 70 per cent decrease in Hajj pilgrims over just two years.
In 2022, the combined figure for J&K and Ladakh stood at around 6,000 pilgrims, marking a relatively stable period following the COVID-19 pandemic, during which Hajj was suspended in 2020 and 2021.
The surge in 2023 was short-lived, and the sharp fall in the subsequent years reflects both financial and logistical hurdles that prospective pilgrims are facing.
While the official Hajj quota for J&K in 2024 was 8,200, only 8,147 applications were received, and 7,008 individuals ultimately completed the journey.
The officials further said that apart from the government-organised arrangements, approximately 3,000 pilgrims from J&K opt for private travel operators each year a trend that has held steady since 2015.
"With the soaring cost of travel and the absence of foreign airlines, the number of pilgrims from J&K has been considerably reduced. Added to that, the fears over extreme temperatures in Saudi Arabia have also deterred many from making the pilgrimage this year," another official said—(KNO)