From Kashmir to the Kaaba, pilgrims begin the journey of a lifetime

Srinagar, Apr 18: It was not yet fully morning when the tears began.

Outside Hajj House Bemina, families had been gathering since the early hours, some arriving before the call to Fajr had even faded from the cool Srinagar air.

They came carrying nothing but prayers and the particular heaviness of a farewell that is also a celebration.

Their sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers were leaving for Mecca, and no one quite knew how to stand still.

Ghulam Mohammad, an elderly pilgrim from Srinagar, stopped just short of the gate and turned around one last time.

His eyes were wet. His hands were folded.

“It feels like Allah has invited us to His house,” he said. “We waited many years for this moment.”

The scenes at Hajj House were the kind that resist easy description.

Children waved at departing grandparents. Women wiped their eyes with the ends of their dupattas.

Old men clutched prayer beads and travel documents with equal care, already reciting quietly to themselves, already halfway to Mecca in their hearts.

Some families embraced in total silence, as if words would only get in the way of what needed to be felt.

A woman who had come to see off her parents stood near the gate and steadied herself before she could speak.

“There are tears because they are leaving us behind,” she said finally, “but there is happiness because they are going for Hajj. This is a blessing for our whole family.”

Nearby, a young man named Shoaib Ahmad stood watching the crowd inch slowly through the gate.

He looked around at the gathered faces, each carrying its own private weight of emotion, and said softly, “Every family here carries emotion today. We only pray that all pilgrims complete Hajj in good health and return safely.”

Three flights, 431 souls, and the quiet machinery of a journey that begins with a lifetime of longing

Three flights were scheduled for Saturday, the very first of twenty-eight that will operate between April 18 and May 5 to carry a total of 4701 pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir to Saudi Arabia this season.

The first batch comprised 230 men and 201 women, divided across the three flights departing Srinagar International Airport through the course of the morning.

Shujaat Ahmad Qureshi, Executive Officer of the J&K Hajj Committee, said every arrangement had been put in place well before the first pilgrim arrived at the premises.

“We have made all necessary arrangements for the comfort and convenience of pilgrims,” he said. “The process has remained smooth since morning.”

Transportation, baggage handling, medical screening and documentation were all in order, built to keep the departures dignified and unhurried.

Pilgrims were asked to report at Hajj House as per their allotted timings.

The first flight, QP-7521, had passengers reporting between 6 and 6.30 in the morning, the second, QP-7520, between 8:15 and 8:45, and the third, QP-7519, between 9 and 9:30. Each pilgrim was advised to carry their passport, visa copy, vaccination card and standard baggage only.

At Srinagar International Airport, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah arrived to personally bid farewell to the first batch, formally marking the commencement of Hajj operations 2026 from Jammu and Kashmir. He did not stand at a distance.

He moved among the pilgrims, stopped to speak with them, shook hands, offered warm words and wished each of them a safe, peaceful and spiritually fulfilling journey to the holiest sites in Islam.

He prayed for the successful completion of Hajj and expressed hope that the pilgrimage would deepen in every returning pilgrim the values of compassion, unity and brotherhood.

He sought divine blessings for lasting peace, harmony and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir and for the well-being of all its people.

Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Deputy Commissioner Budgam, Director Airport Srinagar, senior civil and police officials, members of the J&K Hajj Committee and Airport Authority representatives were all present on the occasion.

When the last flight rose above the mountains, the courtyard fell silent and Kashmir was left with only prayers and the long wait for their return.

By the time the last of the three flights lifted off the Srinagar tarmac and disappeared into the pale morning sky, the courtyard at Haj House had grown quiet.

The families had begun to leave, carrying home that particular mixture of longing and pride that comes only from sending someone you love toward something sacred.