Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 22: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday urged the Centre to facilitate the return of around 4,000 Indian pilgrims stranded in Makkah and Madina after airlines suspended flights to Saudi Arabian cities amid the security situation.

Owaisi urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to allow airlines to deploy larger aircraft to bring the pilgrims back to India. Alternatively, he called on the government to arrange special flights for their return.

He sought urgent intervention from External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and other Union ministers, saying the pilgrims had been left without adequate assistance by their travel agents.

“The Indian pilgrims have been abandoned by their travel agents. This needs your urgent intervention; in the meanwhile necessary support must be provided to the stranded pilgrims,” Owaisi said in a social media post.

He tagged Jaishankar, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, urging them to take immediate steps to help the stranded Indians.