West Asia tensions disrupt Umrah travel for pilgrims from Kashmir

Heightened tensions in West Asia have disrupted travel plans of Umrah pilgrims from Kashmir, with airspace restrictions triggering flight cancellations and rescheduling, tour operators said on Saturday.

The holy month of Ramzan is considered the peak season for performing Umrah — the minor pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia — and many Muslims prefer to undertake the pilgrimage during this period.

Every year, thousands of pilgrims from Kashmir travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.

However, tensions in West Asia following the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel have led to flight disruptions, affecting the movement of pilgrims.

Parvez Bhat, associated with the Jammu and Kashmir Association of Hajj and Umrah Companies, said travel plans of 30–40 groups of pilgrims have either been cancelled or rescheduled in the past few days.

“Pilgrims who were scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia are now stranded. There is no clarity yet about their revised travel dates,” he said.

He added that the association’s office-bearers are taking up the matter with Saudi authorities as many pilgrims have confirmed hotel bookings but are unable to reach their destination.

Another Srinagar-based Umrah operator, Bashir Ahmad, said the disruptions have significantly affected travel plans during the peak pilgrimage season.

“One of our groups that was scheduled to leave on March 2 was first rescheduled to March 7, and now the same group will travel on March 13,” he said.

Ahmad said that out of nine groups scheduled to travel in March, four have already had their flights cancelled. He added that several Kashmiri pilgrims are also stranded in Saudi Arabia due to the ongoing disruptions.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Haneefa Jan, Member of Parliament from Ladakh, said pilgrims from the region are also stranded in Iran.

“As I remain deeply concerned about the pilgrims (Zawar) stranded in Iran, I have been actively engaging with the concerned authorities to ensure their safe and early return,” Jan said in a post on X.

He said he met Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday and discussed the issue, particularly the concerns of pilgrims from Ladakh.

“The Government of India is arranging the safe movement of the stranded pilgrims to Yerevan, from where their return to India can be organised,” he added.