Rather, Maulvi Iftikhar in 25-member Indian Hajj delegation

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Nov 1: Four mainstream politicians from Jammu & Kashmir are among 25-member strong Indian Hajj delegation which is scheduled to leave for performing Hajj in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

The goodwill delegation, led by Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Shri K Rahman Khan, called on the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, in New Delhi today. The Prime Minister urged the delegation to convey good wishes to the people of Saudi Arabia on behalf of 120 Crore people of India. The Prime Minister said India enjoys excellent relations with Saudi Arabia, and the rest of the Arab world, and would strive to take them further.

The delegation includes a number of members of the civil society and Muslim intelligentsia from several Indian states with glaring exception of Jammu & Kashmir which is a predominantly Muslim population state. Politicians and bureaucrats of the NC-Congress coalition government have yet again succeeded to establish monopoly for themselves and their favourites both in the Indian Hajj delegation as well as the state-sponsored Khuddaam-ul-Hujjaj---government officials performing Hajj on the expenditure from public exchequer but actually supposed to provide different services and solutions to the pilgrims from the state.

According to sources, Department of Revenue, that functions under Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir and Financial Commissioner Revenue, has yet again repeated a number of Khuddaam who have already performed Hajj at the government expense several number in the past.

The Indian Hajj delegation this year includes senior National Conference (NC) leader and Minister of Finance, Abdul Rahim Rather, PDF’s lonely MLA and former Minister Hakeem Mohammad Yasin, Congress leader and advocate from Baramulla, Ghulam Nabi Monga, as also the opposition PDP’s MLA and prominent Shia-Muslim cleric Maulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari. While Ansari reached New Delhi late in the afternoon, Messers Rather, Hakeem and Monga were among those who met with the Prime Minister today.

This year’s Hajj delegation is headed by Mr K Rahman Khan, Deputy Chairman, of Rajya Sabha. Others in the Indian delegation include 

The mainstream politicians  Abdul Kashem Sabhapati, Khargram Panchayat Samity,Murshidabad, West Bengal, M.J. Rehman, Senior Vice President, Amity Group, Sheikh Alim, Advocate & Secretary, Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, Sayed Mohammed Moin, Delhi, Mohammed Hassan Fazal, Bangalore, Sultan Ahmed, MoS Tourism, Aquil Ahmad Rahi, General Secretary JD(U), Syed Abbas Ali Shihab Thangal, AI Manhal, Pannakkad, Mallapuram,  Khurshid Aziz, Jagdishpur, Amethi, Mohammad Usman, Raebareilly, Maqsood Alam, Sultanpur, Hafiz Sajid Hasan Khattat, Bijnor, Abrar Ahmed, Joint Secretray, union Ministry of Minority Affairs, Mufti Abdullah Mohamed, Hasnot, Bharuch, Gujarat, Shanavas, M.P., Lok Sabha, Wayanad, Kerala, Mohammad Adeeb, M.P Rajya Sabha, Dr M Saleem Kidwai, Centre for Canadian, US & Latin American Studies, Sayyed Qasim Ashraf, Lucknow, Justice Bhanwaroo Khan, Judicial Member, Armed Forces Tribunal, Jaipur Bench and Hasan Shuja, Chief Editor, Sahafat and Urdu newspaper Awwam-e-Hind.

Members of the Hajj delegation are scheduled to return to New Delhi from Saudi Arabia on November 15^th and 16^th.

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