ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki has said that no decision has yet been made with regard to Hajj 2020, brushing aside the rumours surfacing in the Social Media that Pilgrimage (Hajj) to be performed in July 2020 has been cancelled in view of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic.
However, the envoy said that the Saudi Hotels and Transport Service Companies etc have merely been asked not to ink a deal with any Country for the time being as uncertainty still looms over the holding of Hajj 2020.
The clarification came from the Saudi ambassador when the Special Correspondent Dunya News Adeel Warraich asked him about a video surfacing on the Internet in which a Saudi Official while addressing a Press Conference indicated that Hajj 2020 may be cancelled amid the Coronavirus outbreak.
Meanwhile, in his Twitter statement, the Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri also termed the news about the suspension of Hajj 2020 as untrue and said that the Hajj arrangements are continuing as per routine.
The minister said that the Saudi government hasn’t yet issued any directive to halt the Hajj 2020; rather the Saudi Ministry for Hajj has only advised for not inking final agreements with transport, hotel hiring for Hajj days.
Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri said that the Religious Affairs Ministry is in constant contact with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.
سوشل میڈیا پر حج روکنے کی خبر میں کوئی صداقت نہیں۔ حج انتظامات معمول کے مطابق جاری ہیں۔ ہم سعودی وزارت حج و عمرہ سے مسلسل رابطے میں ہیں۔ سعودی عرب نے حج انتظامات روکنے سے متعلق کوئی حکم جاری نہیں کیا۔ سعودی حکام ایسے اعلان سے پہلے بڑے مسلم ممالک سے مشاورت کرے گی: وزیر مذہبی امور
— Pir Dr. Noor ul Haq Qadri (Official) (@MORAisbOfficial) March 24, 2020
سعودی وزارت حج نے ٹرانسپورٹ، ہوٹل/بلڈنگ حتمی معاہدہ فی الحال موخر کرنے کا مشورہ دیا ھے۔ فی الحال #hajj2020 نہ ہونے کی بات قبل از وقت ھے۔ اللہ تعالی سے امید ھے کہ حج کے ایام تک صورت حال بہتر ہو جائے گی۔ مصدقہ اطلاعات کیلئے وزارت کے آفیشل سوشل میڈیا کو فالو کریں: وزیر مذہبی امور
— Pir Dr. Noor ul Haq Qadri (Official) (@MORAisbOfficial) March 24, 2020
It’s worth mention that a total of 179,210 Pakistanis would perform Hajj 2020.
As the Novel Coronavirus has engulfed 196 Countries around the globe, the King of Saudi Arabia is no exemption. So far 767 Coronavirus Cases have been detected in Saudi Arabia while one person has died of it.
Therefore, in efforts to curtail the acceleration of the virus, the Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud has announced a nationwide curfew for the next 21 days.
