SRINAGAR, Feb. 26 -- The Jammu & Kashmir Civil Society Forum (JKCSF) on Wednesday raised serious concerns over the sharp disparity in airfare for Haj pilgrims from Srinagar, calling it an unfair financial burden.

Forum Chairman Abdul Qayoom Wani urged the government to intervene and ensure uniform pricing across all embarkation points. He highlighted a decline in Haj applications from Jammu & Kashmir in recent years, with only 4,100 applications received this year against the allotted 7,900 seats, and just 3,600 applicants making the final payment.

In a statement, JKCSF revealed that the airfare from Srinagar to Jeddah/Madina has been set at Rs 1,66,811, significantly higher than Rs 92,054 from Delhi and Rs 83,109 from Mumbai. Even afte...