RIYADH – Twelve thousand Umrah pilgrims who arrived in the Kingdom during Ramadan overstayed their visas and did not leave the country, according to Haj Ministry spokesman Hatim Qadhi. He said the authorities were following up their cases to ensure their departure from the country before the Haj season, Alsharq newspaper reported on Saturday. Qadhi said this was a very small percentage compared to the large number of Umrah performers this season. He said the ministry was taking all precautions to ensure that pilgrims coming for the upcoming Haj depart on schedule. Qadhi said the ongoing expansion work in Makkah and Madinah will not prevent pilgrims from performing the Haj rites. — SG
