NEW DELHI, 22 January 2006 — A poor woman from Kerala is in New Delhi to appeal to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to pardon her husband, Abdul Lateef Naushad. Abdullah will be the chief guest at this year’s Republic Day parade here on Jan. 26.
Naushad, 34, got into a fight with a Saudi and injured the Saudi’s eye. The Saudi reportedly lost the sight in that eye several weeks later. The incident happened in 2003. The case has now been referred to the appeals court in Riyadh for final review. A court in Dammam decreed that one of Naushad’s eyes be gouged out as punishment for causing the Saudi to lose the sight in one eye.
Naushad’s wife Suhaila and their two-year-old daughter along with two other family friends have come here from Kollam in Kerala with the hope of meeting the king.
“He is the only breadwinner of our five-member family. If he loses one eye, there will be complete darkness for our family. We’re appealing to every one to make every effort to secure his release so that he can be with his family. It’s a humble plea,” Suhaila told Arab News at Kerala House here. “You people (the press) could also be of great help for us, so please try to help me and my family,” she pleaded. This is Suhaila’s first visit outside Kerala and the local MLA and MP have made arrangements for her travel and stay in Delhi and even promised an audience with Abdullah.
A royal pardon is Suhaila’s only hope.
“His family is in dire straits and he has to be saved at any cost. If we get a chance, we will tell the king about our problems and request him to pardon Naushad,” said Kabir, Naushad’s relative.
Some1.9 million Keralites work in the Gulf, one million of them in Saudi Arabia alone. An estimated 185 million rupees are remitted home by them every year. The amount is higher than the budget of the southern coastal state. But many say in times of need, there is no one to turn to.
“Nobody in the Indian Embassy is bothered about the migrants. There are several problems affecting the migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, but we get very little help from the embassy. They should change their attitude,” said Rafiq, a worker in Saudi Arabia.
