The Ministry of Haj has dismissed allegations that it is responsible for Umrah pilgrims' travel delays and the disappearance of some pilgrims. The ministry said it has strict procedures for the departure of Umrah pilgrims as per their schedules, but implementing them depends on the cooperation of relevant organizations and companies. Dr. Issa Rawas, undersecretary for Umrah Affairs in the ministry, said it will take some time before officials have all the pertinent information about the matter. “At present, nobody can ensure the departure of all Umrah pilgrims,” he said. “This can only be confirmed in the next few days.” He said the Ministry of Haj has taken precautionary measures, in cooperation with Umrah companies, consulates, heads of the Umrah and Haj missions, to ensure pilgrims do not illegally stay in the country. The official attributed departure delays to the number of Umrah performers who arrived in the last ten days of Ramadan because they wished to attend the end of the recitation of the Holy Qur'an. “We should also take into consideration that there were pilgrims who wanted to spend Eid with their families back home,” he said. “This, of course, made them speed up their departure and there were some individuals who tried to travel on their own in violation of rules governing the pilgrims' departure.” Crowded flights and the actions of some airlines operating them also caused problems, he added. “Many of the airlines involved in transporting the pilgrims failed to inform the authorities about flight delays in time to notify the pilgrims,” he said. “This led to many of the Umrah performers having to wait for several hours at the gates of their residential units or at the airport's terminals.” The number of the Umrah pilgrims this year, about 4 million, is the largest in the Kingdom's history of the Umrah, he added. Major Muhammad Al-Hussein, spokesman of Makkah Passports Department, said expedited deportation procedures and year-round patrols to search for overstayers and violators of labor laws have significantly reduced their numbers. “It should be taken into account that these campaigns are linked to the capacities of the passports' detention centers,” he said. “We also introduced the fast deportation system, in coordination with the pilgrims' consulates. Under the system, overstayers are rapidly deported after it is verified that they are not involved or wanted in any criminal cases. We arrange their departure within a week.”
