MADINA: The Ministry of Haj has told Umrah and Haj firms to turn down visa applications from elderly and disabled persons physically incapable of conducting pilgrimage rites, in a move designed to curb begging. The ministry has told the firms to inform their agents worldwide of the move, which follows a request from Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, that the ministry find ways of tackling the number of persons entering the Kingdom on pilgrimage visas with the sole intention of begging during the Haj and Umrah seasons.
