Saudi embassy confirms - No Ban on Qatari pilgrims to perform Hajj, Umrah

ISLAMABAD: The Saudi embassy has confirmed for no ban on the citizens of Qatar to perform Hajj or Umrah. They pleasantly welcome Qatari pilgrims and will support them to offer them full facilities like before.

According to Saudi embassy spokesman, since first day it was decided by kingdom to split diplomatic and consular relations with Qatar. However, they confirmed their contemplation towards the Qatari brothers and to assist them in order to perform their rituals with ease.

This, it added, has been done despite the negative attitude of the Qatari authorities and their continued inflexibility towards not enabling their citizens to perform Hajj and Umrah.

According to some misreporting done from media, the entire matter is presented and quoted incorrectly mentioning that that Qatar citizens are not allowed to perform rituals.

In fact, Qatari people are free to come to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj or Umrah.

Since the issuance of the statement of the Ministry of Hajj and Umra, Saudi Arabia has received a number of Qatari pilgrims who arrived at King Abdul Aziz International Airport and provided them with all services to facilitate their performances of the rituals, like other Muslims from all over the world.

“The Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan advocates the media to investigate the accuracy and credibility [of such reports] instead of being dragged behind the malicious propaganda promoted by the Qatari authorities against the Kingdom.”

“Furthermore, the statement issued by the Qatari Embassy in Islamabad on Thursday, June 7, 2018, is only one of the desperate and open attempts to make the Kingdom responsible (for) Qatari citizens’ (inability) to enter the Kingdom for Umrah.”

In August last year, Al Jazeera, a Doha-based news channel, claimed that Qataris would not be allowed to perform Hajj due to the country’s complex relations with Saudi Arabia. Prior to that, it had hinted that growing friction between the two Middle Eastern states could create problems for Qatari nationals who wanted to perform their pilgrimage this year.