KUALA LUMPUR: The Pilgrims Fund Board (TH) has welcomed news of Malaysia getting an additional 10,000 places under its haj quota, as it will reduce the waiting time for Malaysians to perform the pilgrimage in the future.

TH also lauded the effort of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in securing the additional quotaduring his meeting with the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, in Riyadh on Tuesday.

"Each year TH makes thorough preparations encompassing numerous aspects locally and in the holy land to ensure Muslims in Malaysia can perform the haj, the fifth pillar of Islam, smoothly," it said in a statement today.

According to the TH website, the Saudi Arabian government has set the haj quota for every country at 0.1 per cent of the total population and the quota for Malaysia is currently at 31,600.

-- BERNAMA