4,000 Stranded: Owaisi Urges Centre to Rescue Indian Umrah Pilgrims
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi urges the Indian government to rescue 4,000 Umrah pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia after being abandoned by agents.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has issued an urgent plea to the Indian government to intervene and facilitate the immediate return of approximately 4,000 Indian Umrah pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia. The pilgrims, located across Medina, Jeddah, and Mecca, have reportedly been left in a dire situation for the past two to three weeks after being abandoned by their travel agents.
A Crisis of Abandonment
According to Owaisi, the stranded pilgrims are facing severe hardships and are currently fending for themselves without any assistance from the agents who organized their travel. While some individuals have found temporary accommodation in Jeddah, the overarching situation is described as one of extreme distress.
The AIMIM leader highlighted that these pilgrims predominantly come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Because of their financial constraints, they are unable to afford expensive alternative tickets on Saudi Airlines, leaving them trapped in a foreign land.
The Role of the DGCA and Airlines
Owaisi pointed out that all 4,000 pilgrims had originally traveled via three major carriers: IndiGo, Akasa Air, and Air India. However, he alleged that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is currently not granting the necessary permissions for these airlines to operate larger aircraft to Jeddah.
To resolve the crisis, Owaisi has made specific demands to the aviation regulator:
- The DGCA should immediately allow IndiGo, Akasa Air, and Air India to deploy larger aircraft, such as the A321, to increase capacity.
- If the DGCA refuses to grant these permissions, the Government of India must step in and dispatch special aircraft to evacuate the pilgrims.
Call for Ministerial Intervention
Given the "changing circumstances" within Saudi Arabia, Owaisi has appealed to top leadership in the Union Cabinet to take immediate notice of the crisis. He specifically called upon:
- S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs
- Kiren Rijiju, Minister for Minority Affairs
- Ram Mohan Naidu, Minister of Civil Aviation
"We hope that the External Affairs Minister, the Aviation Minister, and the Minister of Minority Affairs will take note of this, provide immediate assistance to these individuals, and bring them back to India safely," Owaisi stated.
The AIMIM chief emphasized that the government's swift action is essential to ensure that these financially vulnerable citizens are not left in a state of prolonged suffering and are returned home safely.