JEDDAH, 22 December 2006 — A 25-member Haj goodwill delegation headed by E. Ahamad, minister of state for external affairs, is scheduled to arrive here on Monday.
Announcing the composition of the mission, Suhel Ajaz Khan, consul (Haj) at the Consulate General of India, told Arab News that out of the 110,000 pilgrims coming through the Haj Committee of India, 103,000 had arrived.
The Haj delegation includes Andhra Pradesh Minister for Information and PR Mohammed Ali Shabber, Member of Parliament and Haj Committee of India Chairman Iqbal Ahmad Saradgi, Rajya Sabha Member Anwara Taimur, Jammu and Kashmir High Court Judge Justice Nisar Ahmed Kakru, Jamia Nooria General Secretary Syed Hyderali Shihab Thangal, former Bihar Minister Shakeel-uz-Zamaan Ansari, Uttaranchal Haj Committee Chairman Zahid Raza Rizvi and Central Information Commission’s Information Commissioner M.M. Ansari.
Shakeel Ahmed, Central Waqf Council member, and Pir Khaja Ahmed Nizami, both from Delhi, former Jammu and Kashmir MP Ghulam Rasool Kar, Delhi-based Markaz Jamaat Ehle Hadees Secretary-General Maulana Asaghar Ahmed Salafi, Uttar Pradesh-based Al-Nisa Foundation Vice President Begum Andalib Sayeed, Bombay-based Anjuman Islam President Sami Khateeb and Mirza Mohammed Yasoob Abbas, Shia Muslim Personal Law Board spokesperson.
The delegation also includes three journalists — Syed Shamsul Hasan Arif, Javed Ansari and Jamaluddin Ahmed.
Pilgrims will soon be proceeding to Mina for the annual pilgrimage that will reach its pinnacle on Dec. 29 at Arafat.
