JEDDAH, 14 December 2007 — Appreciating the noble efforts of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah in promoting relations between Saudi Arabia and India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday called on Indian pilgrims to convey their country’s best wishes to the Saudi leadership.
Speaking at an interaction in New Delhi with members of the Indian Haj delegation, Manmohan said: “Each one of you is the ambassador of our country. So, when you are on the sacred soil of Saudi Arabia, convey the people of India’s, the government of India’s, greetings to all the high dignitaries of the Kingdom.”
Islam, he said, is the religion of peace and brotherhood. “We have 150 million Muslims in India and Islam is a part of our heritage and, therefore, this message of peace, harmony, amity must go forth from this land.”
He asked the delegation members to take a look at the arrangements made for the comfort of Indian pilgrims. “Whatever efforts were required, we made,” he said. “We have Minority Affairs Minister A.R. Antulay, Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee... They have taken great pains to ensure that our pilgrims are looked after well. But, if there are any deficiencies, you can point them out and the officials will set them right.”
Talking to Arab News from New Delhi, Ahamed said Indians at the highest level acknowledge King Abdullah’s personal push to growing ties between the two countries. “As our prime minister pointed out, the king’s contribution is immense and we are grateful to him for the increase in the Indian pilgrim quota,” Ahamed said. The Haj quota for Indians has gone up by nearly 38,000 in the last four years and now stands at 157,000.
In Makkah, meanwhile, more than 105,000 pilgrims coming through the Haj Committee of India have already arrived. According to Indian Consul General Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, the last Haj flight arrives today. “All arrangements for the movement of pilgrims to Mina early on Monday have been made,” he said.
Dr. Sayeed, Indian Haj Consul Suhel Ajaz Khan and other coordinators yesterday visited the tent city of Mina and inspected arrangements for the Indian pilgrims.
The Indian Haj delegation, which arrives today, is being led this year by Antulay and includes: Justice Allah-e-Rahim of the Allahabad High Court; Haroon Yusuf, minister of transport, government of Delhi; Mehbooba Mufti, MP, Lok Sabha; Professor K.M. Kader Mohideen, MP, Lok Sabha; Azeez Pasha, MP; Arshad Madani, president, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind; Akhtarul Wassey, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi; Saeed Tariq Bukhari, Jama Masjid Mushawarati Council, Delhi; Maulana Muhammad Usman Owaisi, Jamia Darul Uloom, Ajmer; Hafiz Abdullah Qureshi, Makkah Masjid, Hyderabad; Maulana Mufti Ashraf Ali, Darul Uloom Sabilur Rishad, Bangalore; E.T. Mohamed Basheer, former minister, Kerala; T.H. Mustafa, former minister, Kerala; Dr. Aliya Zuberi, member, AICC, UP; Khursheed Saiyed, general secretary, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee; Suheb Parvez, publisher, Hindustan Express Urdu daily, Delhi; Ahmad Saeed Malihabadi, editor, Azad Hind and Ujala Weekly, Kolkata; Waseem Ahmad, former MP; Kalimul Hafiz, NGO, Aman, J&K; Abdul Vadood, social worker, Rae Bareli; Ahamed Hassan, editor, Qalam Weekly, Kolkata; Muhammad Ahmad Khan, bureau chief, Munsif Daily, Hyderabad; Jannath Hussain, principal secretary, government of Andhra Pradesh; Dr. Muhammad Akhtar Hussain Qasmi, former MLA, UP; Lutfur Rahman Laskar, a retired IAS officer; Capt. Abbas Ali, veteran freedom fighter and social worker; Syed Nazim Ali Nizami, sufi scholar; and Shafiqur Rahman Barq, MP (Rajya Sabha).
