MoI calls back Hajj cyclists to send them by air

KABUL (Pajhwok): Two Afghans who failed to reach Mecca on bicycles to perform Hajj rituals would be sent by air on financial support of the acting interior minister.

Noor Ahmad on May 5 started his journey to Hajj on bicycle from Ghazni province and was joined by Aziz Ahmad in Kandahar province, but both faced visa issues on the Iran-Iraq border and appealed for help.

In a video clip released six days ago, Noor Ahmad said he was in Iran’s Ahvaz city and his friend went to Tehran.

Kabul Police spokesman Khalid Zadran told Pajhwok Afghan News the two Afghans had been called back to Kabul after they were stopped in Iran.

He said the two men were scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia today to perform the sacred obligation with financial support of acting Interior Minister KhalifaSirajjuddinHaqqani.

Hajj and Religious Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Fazal Muhammad Hussaini said: “These people have been called back by the Ministry of Interior which made the payment for their Hajj expenses,  we have given them a special share, they have the right to go for Hajj this year.”

According to reports, 13,582 Afghans from Afghanistan will be traveling to Saudi Arabia this year to perform the Hajj, and the process of transferring these people started on June 7 this year.

hz/nh/ma

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