Kuala Lumpur: The decision on whether Malaysia will secure an additional quota of haj pilgrims from the Saudi Arabian Government is anticipated to be disclosed by the end of this month, stated Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar has yet to receive any formal response regarding the matter from Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr Tawfig Fawzan Al-Rabiah. “We are not sure how many (additional quotas) we will get because it also depends on the policy that the Saudi Arabian Government will use this year,” he explained. He mentioned that if Saudi Arabia decides to implement stricter measures similar to those during the COVID-19 era to control the number of pilgrims entering the mosques, the quota may be limited.

Previously, Tabung Haji had announced Malaysia’s official application for an additional 10,000 pilgrims submitted to Saudi Arabia. This year, the current haj quota allocated for Malaysia stands at 31,600 pilgrims.