Uttar Pradesh Haj minister Mohd Azam Khan has asked external affairs minister SM Krishna to ensure that Haj pilgrims are issued passports on a priority basis.
Khan has written a letter to Krishna asking him to direct the regional passport office at Lucknow, Ghaziabad and Bareilly to issue passports to willing Haj pilgrims within a week's time.
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The Haj minister in his letter said that a large number of Muslims from rural areas go for Haj, but being semi-literate they are unable to understand technicalities involved in getting a passport.
He said that a large number of applications were pending with the passport offices.
Khan said that there were cases in which passports were not issued even though the police inquiry has been completed.
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