Premier hails Hajj success

Manama : His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa yesterday extended deepest congratulations to the Saudi Monarch on Eid Al Adha, valuing highly the efforts exerted by King Salman to serve the pilgrims and enabling them to perform Hajj rituals in total security and safety.

According to the Saudi state news agency SPA, 2.35 million Muslims are participating in the latest pilgrimage to Mecca, including 1.75 million from outside the kingdom.

Tight security was in place to safeguard this year’s pilgrimage, with authorities saying they had deployed more than 100,000 personnel to oversee the Hajj. 

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, in a statement published in the Saudi Gazette, said, “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has utilised all its potentials to enable the pilgrims to perform Hajj easily.” 

“We are determined — with Allah’s help — to proceed in achieving the highest level of services for the Two Holy Mosques and the holy sites within an integrated system aiming to increase the facilitation of Hajj performance and the safety of the visitors of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.”

“The arms of terrorism have sought to harm the holy sites without any consideration to their sanctities. However, Saudi Arabia — with Allah’s help and in cooperation with the Kingdom’s brothers and friends — have achieved great successes in eradicating terrorism and drying up its sources firmly and persistently,” King Salman said. 

In a cable sent to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, HRH the Premier paid tribute to King Salman for his stances in support of Bahrain’s development, security and stability.

HRH the Prime Minister sent similar congratulatory cables to Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Premier and Defence Minister, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and to the Saudi King’s Advisor, Makkah Province Governor and Hajj Central Committee Chairman, HRH Prince Khalid Al-Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, on Eid Al-Adha and the success of the pilgrimage season.