Srinagar, Oct 24 (UNI) Thirty-six Kashmiri Umrah pilgrims, including elderly people and women, remain stranded in Saudi Arabia after their return flight, scheduled for October 13, was cancelled, leaving them struggling to meet expenses for accommodation, food and medicines.
The stranded pilgrims said they felt abandoned and appealed for urgent assistance, as their financial resources and essential medicines were running low.
The group of 50 pilgrims left Srinagar on September 25. Following the cancellation of their IndiGo return flight, 36 of them are unable to return home.
The pilgrims said repeated changes to flight schedules and soaring airfares had further complicated their return, with Indian carriers repeatedly postponing flight dates, while the few local airlines still operating were charging fares beyond their means.
“Every route home from Jeddah, whether via Dubai, Muscat or Kuwait, costs more than one lakh rupees per person,” said Waqar Mir, a member of the group, speaking from Saudi Arabia.
Unable to afford the expensive tickets, 36 pilgrims continue to wait in Saudi Arabia, while the remaining 14 arranged their own travel and returned home via Dubai a few days ago.
“Every route home from Jeddah, whether via Dubai, Muscat or Kuwait, costs more than one lakh rupees per person,” said Waqar Mir, a member of the group, speaking from Saudi Arabia.
The stranded pilgrims said they had been managing their accommodation and meals independently, but their savings were nearly exhausted. Several are now borrowing money from fellow pilgrims and others to meet their daily expenses.
“We are all on our own,” Mir said.
The pilgrims said their immediate concern was the deteriorating financial and health situation of several members of the group.
Mir said some elderly pilgrims were running short of essential medicines. He added that medicines in Saudi Arabia were expensive and often required prescriptions from local doctors.
“In Saudi Arabia the drugs are expensive and need a local doctor’s prescription. Some in the group have suffered anxiety and panic attacks, and a few are on the verge of a mental breakdown,” he said.
Tensions in West Asia have escalated following Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia. King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh has been hit twice in the past two weeks, leaving two people, including an Indian resident, dead.
According to Mir, the tour operator described the flight cancellation as an “act of God” and said he is unable to help.
“When we approached the Indian Embassy, we were told that the operator should take care of them,” the member said.
Officials have advised them to contact the operator or book tickets on airlines such as Saudia, flynas or Emirates, departing via neighbouring countries.
The situation is made worse by the airports. According to the pilgrims, Riyadh airport is completely shut, and Jeddah is facing disruptions even though flights are operating.
On Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs said the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah are working with airlines and tour operators to bring stranded pilgrims home early. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said about 3,000 stranded Umrah pilgrims have returned from Saudi Arabia over the past week, besides more than 10,000 regular pilgrims who were booked on available flights. Arrangements for the others are being discussed, he said.
The ministry added that the Embassy and Consulate, with help from community volunteers, are extending welfare assistance, and that 24×7 control rooms have been set up for Indian nationals.
For the 36 pilgrims from Kashmir, those assurances have not yet reached their hotel rooms. “We just want to come home,” the member said. “Our elders can’t keep waiting like this.”
