Manama: Qatar-based Muslims planning to perform pilgrimage this year have been given four days to select their Haj (pilgrimage) operator.
“Your application to go on Haj has been approved. You are requested to select your operators within four days,” an SMS message sent to the successful applicants said, local daily Al Arab reported on Monday.
Applicants may choose among the 16 operators endorsed by the Qatari authorities to take applicants to Haj in Makkah in western Saudi Arabia.
Under Saudi regulations, no would-be pilgrim, even Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nationals normally exempted from visas, is allowed to enter Makkah without the endorsement of a Haj operator.
The Qatari authorities said that 30 operators had applied to transport pilgrims, but they eventually selected only 16. They added that six operators would take pilgrims by land and that ten would fly them.
“Applicants will have to choose whether to be flown or driven to Makkah,” they said.
Foreigners are expected to provide a no-objection certificate by their sponsors or a record of their holidays among the documents to be presented to the operators to finalise their applications.
The authorities said that all would-be pilgrims would have to sign a contract with their operators specifying their rights and duties.
Scores of Qataris have complained in recent years that the service promised before the trip did not materialise and that their operators either offered below standard services or did not provide the necessary assistance they required to deal with difficult situations.
Around 1,500 Qatar-based people are expected to perform Haj this year. The season starts in mid-October.
