Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Pakistan released a statement on Thursday correcting false reports circulated in local Pakistani media about Qatari nationals being barred from performing Umrah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
In the statement, the embassy said that since the first day of the decision to boycott Qatar, cutting all diplomatic and consular ties, Saudi Arabia ensured that the process of pilgrimage for Umrah and Hajj would be completely facilitated for Qatari nationals in accordance with procedures organised by the relevant authorities.
This comes in response to a statement released by the Qatari embassy in Pakistan accusing the kingdom of not allowing Qataris to perform their rituals at the holy site. The Saudi embassy’s statement added that Qatar has “not been enabling its citizens to perform Hajj and Umrah in order to earn media attention”.
They added that the Qatari statement is a mere continuation of that, and another attempt to wrongfully blame the kingdom.
The Saudi embassy’s statement also falsified some reports by local Pakistani newspapers that mentioned that Qatari nationals were banned from performing their religious rituals in the kingdom.
The statement ensures that the kingdom’s leadership and people welcome anyone who wants to visit the holy site, including Qataris.
The Saudi embassy has since received a number of Qatari pilgrims who had arrived straight from the King Abdul Aziz International Airport, and provided them with all the services needed to facilitate their pilgrimage, as is done with all Muslims around the world.
The statement appealed to local media in Pakistan to properly check their information and its credibility, and not believe mere accusations promoted by Qatari authorities. They added that these accusations are refuted by facts and concrete reality from scenes of Saudi Arabia’s care for pilgrims at the holy site year round.
