India today assured Saudi Arabia that the new government is committed to strengthen bilateral relationship with the resource-rich Gulf nation.
This was conveyed by India's official Haj delegation, comprising two senior BJP leaders, who met Saudi Arabia's Haj Minister. They conveyed the government's resolve to strengthen the bilateral ties with the west Asian country.
The Haj Goodwill delegation led by Arif Beg, a former federal minister, and Abdul Rasheed Ansari, National President of party's minority wing, of Delhi, met Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar ahead of the annual pilgrimage that begins on Thursday.
The delegation met Hajjar along with India's ambassador to Saudi Arabia Hamid Ali Rao, Consul General BS Mubarak, Deputy Consul General Noor Rahman Sheikh and Chief Liaison Officer Ragib Quraishi.
"The goodwill delegation conveyed to the Minister, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's resolve to strengthen bilateral ties with Saudi Arabia," Mubarak told PTI.
"Mr Beg also told the minister that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has special focus on ties with GCC countries," India's Consul General said.
The Consul General and ambassador Rao apprised Hajjar about Indian Haj Mission's arrangements for the pilgrimage.
Minister Hajjar congratulated India on the success of Mars Orbiter Mission and said Saudi Arabia could learn a lot from India in the field of Science and Technology.
The delegation invited Hajjar to visit India to which he said, "he would love to."
Earlier India's Haj delegation used to consist of more than 20 members including ministers, journalists, lawyers and academicians and would stay in luxury hotels in Mecca and Medina on government expense.
The practice ended in 2012 after Supreme Court ordered to stop sending large delegations on government expense.
Of the 136,020 Indian pilgrims who have reached Saudi Arabia this year, 100,020 came via the Hajj Committee of India while the rest were facilitated by private tour operators.
Over two million pilgrims from across the world will begin their trek to the tent-city of Mina on Thursday in the first leg of the five-day pilgrimage.
The Haj will reach its zenith on Friday, October 3, when the nearly 3 million pilgrims stand on the plains of Arafat. The pilgrimage will end after Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice.
The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam that should be performed at least once in lifetime by every Muslim who is financially and physically capable.
