317 Hajj Pilgrims Left Accra For Saudi Arabia

The first batch of pilgrims totaling three hundred and seventeen left the Kotoka International Airport (K.I.A) yesterday on board Egypt Air for Saudi Arabia for this year's Hajj and another 317 would be lifted from the Tamale Airport by the Ghana Air Force to Accra and also airlifted to the lslamic Republic at 5am on Sunday.

Two flights would leave on Monday morning and evening with other batches following subsequently until all the 5,700 pilgrims are airlifted.

Lt. Gen. J.H. Smith (rtd), the Minister of Defence revealed this at the Hajj village on Saturday during a media briefing after he and some other government officials including Hons.Elvis Afriyie Ankrah and Collins Dauda both Deputy Minister and Minister of Local Government and Transport respectively bid farewell to the pilgrims at the airport and promised them government's continuous support by making this year's Hajj pilgrimage the most successful ever.

The Defence Minister stated that President Mahama has been calling from his base in the United States, where he is attending to other important national assignments, to check on the organization of the Hajj because “he is very much concerned about its continuous success since he personally took special interest in it when he was the vice president of the country and made sure for the past 3years our Moslem brothers and sisters have been treated with the dignity and honour that they deserve ”.

According to him the Hajj village which has been relocated to the K.I.A. area due the crash of the Allied Air Cargo Boeing 727-200 at the former village near the Elwak Sports Stadium would be officially opened by President Mahama when he returns from his trip outside country .

“He (President Mahama) has asked me to tell the pilgrims to respect the laws of Saudi Arabia in order for them to have a successful pilgrimage and also called for their continuous prayers for the peace and unity of this country now, during and after the elections”, he added.

Speaking to The Republic, the Public Relations Officer of the National Hajj Committee Alhaji Alidu Haruna stated that the Committee is working assiduously around the clock to ensure that some of the challenges like delays in passport acquisition from the Passport Office that hitherto was of a major concern to them are drastically reduced.

Responding to rumours of victimization of some Hajj pilgrims ,he stated that the operations of the Committee are not discriminatory because the organization of Hajj is a spiritual activity and not a platform for political vendetta where would-be pilgrims are denied the rare privilege and pride of going to the Holy land because of their political affiliations and added that “it would be most unfair and unwise to do that”