Address by MoS Dr. Shashi Tharoor at All India Annual Conference for Haj 2009, New Delhi, 14 July 2009

14/07/2009

Mr. Hasan Ahmed, Vice-Chairman and Members of Haj Committee of India,
Shri N. Ravi, Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs
Shri M.OH. Farook, Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Honorable Members of Parliament,
Shri Mohammed Owais, CEO, Haj Committee of India,
Chairmen and Members of the State Haj Committees, former Chairman Shri Iqbal Ahmed Saradgi,
Distinguished Religious Scholars,
Members of the Media and
Dear Brothers & Sisters,

It is my great pleasure and privilege to welcome you to the All India Annual Conference for Haj 2009. It’s a matter of personal satisfaction for me to be associated for the first time with Haj arrangements of the Indian pilgrims from this year as Minister of State for External Affairs, in-charge of Haj matters.

I would also take this opportunity to congratulate all the agencies involved in the Haj management i.e. Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Haj Committee of India, State Haj Committees, Air India, Indian Airlines, Consulate General of India in Jeddah and others for the successful completion of the Haj 2008.

On behalf of all pilgrims from India, we have requested and would again urge His Majesty King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, Custodian of the two Holy Mosques, not only to maintain the same quota as last year, but also increase it, so that more Indian pilgrims who desire to perform Haj could do so without any hindrance. We have been assured of positive consideration, but are awaiting a response. We thank and felicitate the Saudi Government whose hospitality and arrangement year after year, have become more extensive and pilgrim-friendly.

Dear Friends, the Annual Haj Conference is an institutionalized platform for all stakeholders in the Haj, including the political leadership, the Haj Committees, the Government departments including the Consulate General of India, Jeddah, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Air India, Members of Parliament and, of course, learned religious scholars to air their views through transparent discussions, frank exchange of opinions and brainstorming on all Haj-related matters. The deliberations in this forum have brought to the forefront many useful suggestions and ideas in the past, I am told, which had enabled the Government to further improve and strengthen the overall arrangements of the Haj.

Mr. Hasan Ahmed has already started the ball rolling. We have already taken note of them and I want to assure you that we would seriously consider the suggestions and recommendations. I would like to urge various States to depute sufficient number of Khadimul Hujjaj and to give them proper orientation so that they can be of use to the pilgrims. These Khadimul Hujjaj are supplemented and supported by community volunteers mobilized by the Consulate General of India hailing from different parts of India. Some States have not taken a proactive role in sending the Khadimul Hujjaj that tends to put further strain on the limited human resources available to us in Jeddah. I would, therefore, urge all State Haj Committees to make every possible effort so that Hajis from their States could be further assisted during the Haj.

This year we have had a particularly challenging task as the Saudi Government wanted us to comply with the requirement of travel by Hajis only on international passports. I am happy to inform you that this challenge is being successfully met with the cooperation of Ministries, the Regional Passport Offices, Central and State Haj Committees. If any difficulties are being faced, these should be addressed to the Gulf & CPV Divisions of the Ministry of External Affairs. I would also be happy to intervene, if necessary, so that no pilgrim is inconvenienced.

The Government has also taken a number of decisions to streamline the functioning of Private Tour Operators so that they can provide proper services and facilities for the pilgrims. It is a matter of satisfaction that over the years the Indian Private Tour Operators have been contributing significantly in providing necessary services to the Indian pilgrims. These pilgrims also benefit from the arrangements, for medical and general assistance, put in place by the Haj Mission in Jeddah.

I know it is the cherished desire of every Muslim brother and sister to perform Haj. However, as a result of the incidence of some communicable diseases like Swine-flu, the Saudi authorities have been advising the elderly, the pregnant women and children to refrain from undertaking the Haj this year. This is not mandatory but I would request you to at least inform our pilgrims of the inherent health risks, and take suitable precautions. In any case, we must ensure that all pilgrims are properly inoculated with all prescribed vaccines including H1N1 (Swine Flu). I could suggest that Hajis would need to be medically screened at embarkation points to avoid their being quarantined on arrival.

I would also like to request the Haj Committee of India and the State Haj Committees and all others who are concerned with Haj affairs to give the highest priority to the pre-departure counselling and orientation of the prospective Haj pilgrims so that they embark on their journey of a lifetime with greater confidence and perform their rituals in a safe and spiritually satisfying manner. I am happy to note that tomorrow and the day after, the first such training sessions are being started.

Although I am a new Member of Parliament and Minister, and have not yet visited Saudi Arabia in either capacity (I have visited privately for 1 day this year), I do look forward to my visit to interact with Saudi authorities especially His Excellency the Haj Minister and other senior dignitaries, who are committed to this holy task.

The Government and the Haj Committee of India constantly strive to make the Haj affordable and comfortable. While all possible measures are taken to cater to the diverse requirements of all our Haj pilgrims, considering the magnitude of the logistics of movement, accommodation and air transport, it is not always easy to satisfy all the pilgrims. I would, therefore, request the pilgrims to show patience and understanding. I do, of course, appreciate that most of the pilgrims have been cooperative and appreciative of the government authorities.

I would request all the participants at this conference to air their valuable views and suggestions so that useful policy decisions could be taken up as a follow-up to this Conference.

I thank all of you for your gracious presence and extend my best wishes for a very successful All India Haj Conference, and consequently a most rewarding experience to all our Haj pilgrims.

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