AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi Urges Centre To Rescue 4000 Haj Pilgrims Stuck in Saudi Arabia

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday urged the Centre to take measures to bring home about 4000 pilgrims from India who were stuck in Makkah and Madina following the suspension of flights to Saudi Arabian cities on the grounds of security.

Owaisi called upon the Government to direct the DGCA to permit airlines to arrange flights to bring back the stranded pilgrims. He sought immediate intervention of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and other Union Ministers.

The AIMIM chief said that “The Indian pilgrims have been abandoned by their travel agents. This needs your urgent intervention; in the meanwhile, necessary support must be provided to the stranded pilgrims,” he said.

He tagged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in his post.

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and Consulate in Jeddah are actively engaging with concerned airlines and tour operators to facilitate the early return of affected pilgrims, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

An Indian national was among two people killed, while two other Indian nationals were injured, in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s Dammam on Wednesday.

According to the MEA, over the past week, about 3,000 stranded Umrah pilgrims have travelled from Saudi Arabia back to India on available flights.

Arrangements are being discussed to facilitate the return of other Umrah pilgrims at the earliest. Our Embassy and Consulate, with the support from community volunteers are extending all possible welfare assistance. 24×7 Control Rooms have been established to help Indian nationals and regular advisories are being issued,” read a statement issued by the ministry.