RIYADH, 19 February 2006 — Three ministerial delegations from India, including one led by Minister of Human Resources Arjun Singh, will visit the Kingdom shortly. The announcement was made by Indian Ambassador M.O.H. Farook in a speech at an educational seminar marking the 25th anniversary of India’s relations with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB).
Ambassador Farook was chairing the seminar at the local DPS School. A delegation of educationists, religious leaders and officials from India participated in the IDB-sponsored event.
The bank has given scholarships to 6,758 Indian students and the Students Islamic Trust (SIT), IDB’s counterpart organization, has implemented the scholarship scheme since 1981. Mamoun Al-Azmi, community development officer responsible for the IDB scholarship scheme, said the IDB had given scholarships to 120 Indian students every year. Amanullah Khan, SIT chairman, said the IDB had assisted in organizing 82 free medical camps and it had sponsored 58 groups of Indians to perform Umrah.
Referring to methods for Muslims to improve literacy, Saiyid Hamid, chancellor of India’s Jamia Hamdard, said there was urgent need to ensure proper functioning of Muslim institutions of India. “Our representation in government services has been minimal compared to our population in the country,” he said. “Islam teaches the value of education,” said Maulana Asrarul Haque Qasmi, a religious scholar, who lost the last parliamentary election in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. He exhorted the audience to render contributions and to promote education in their homeland. He also spoke about the special relations India enjoys with the Kingdom.
Another speaker was Syed Zafar Mahmood, an officer on special duty for a high-level panel set up by the Indian prime minister. An IAS officer and interfaith scholar Mahmood recalled how he had set up many institutions in India such as Mercy Home India, God’s Grace Foundation, Zakat Foundation of India (www.zakatindia.org) and Happy Home Orphanage.