Indian minister visits Madinah after New Delhi and Riyadh sign Hajj agreement: Report

 

Image Credit: Dawn News

According to Indian media reports, an Indian delegation led by Union Minister Smriti Irani visited Madinah over the weekend as part of a two-day trip to Saudi Arabia.

Irani, who is also Minister for Women and Child Development, visited Madinah along with External Affairs Minister V Muraleedharan and other senior officials, according to The Indian Express.

According to the report, the delegation interacted with Indian volunteers who are "providing dedicated and selfless service to Hajj pilgrims and Umrah pilgrims from India, including during Hajj 2023." 

Posts shared on social media platforms included visits to the outskirts of the revered Prophet Al-Masjid Al-Nabwi Mosque, Mount Uhud, and the outskirts of Quba Mosque, Islam's first mosque.

She added that the importance of visiting these places is "closely connected to the beginning of Islamic history" and "underlines the depth of our cultural and spiritual commitment."

It is worth noting that non-Muslims were not allowed to visit the Medina until 2021, but the rules have since been relaxed and they will now be able to visit from the city center to the outskirts of the Prophet's Mosque.

Irani's visit to Saudi Arabia signed a bilateral agreement allocating a quota of 175,025 pilgrims to New Delhi for this year's annual Hajj pilgrimage, according to The Indian Express It was conducted.

"The 2024 Hajj Bilateral Agreement was signed in Jeddah with Saudi Arabia's Minister of Hajj and Umrah Affairs Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiya," the statement said.

"The Government of India is deeply committed to providing facilities and services to Indian Muslims performing Hajj pilgrimage, thereby providing them with a comfortable and enriching experience," the statement said, quoting an official statement. 

"India and Saudi Arabia enjoy warm and cordial relations and the Government of India deeply appreciates the special efforts of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in facilitating this visit of the Indian delegation to Madinah," the statement said.