SRINAGAR: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi urged the Centre to facilitate the return of around 4,000 Indian Umrah pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia due to flight disruptions linked to security concerns.
In a post on X, Owaisi called on the government to ask the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to permit airlines to operate larger aircraft to bring the pilgrims home. If that was not feasible, he urged the authorities to arrange special flights.
Owaisi said the pilgrims had been left in the lurch by their travel agents and called for urgent government intervention and immediate assistance for those awaiting their return. He tagged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in his post.
The disruption comes amid security concerns following attacks on Saudi airports attributed to Yemen’s Houthi rebels. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), an Indian national was among two people killed, while two other Indians were injured in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Wednesday night.
Responding to the situation on Thursday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General in Jeddah were coordinating with airlines and tour operators to facilitate the early return of affected pilgrims.
Jaiswal said around 3,000 stranded Umrah pilgrims had returned to India on available flights over the preceding week, while arrangements for the remaining travellers were being discussed.
The MEA said the embassy and consulate were also providing welfare assistance with the support of community volunteers. Round-the-clock control rooms had been established to assist those affected by the disruption.
