Middle East tensions disrupt flights, 22 pilgrims from UP village stranded in Saudi

On Friday afternoon, residents of Bani village in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur district held an emergency meeting to discuss how to bring home 22 pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia following flight disruptions caused by attacks on airport infrastructure.

The group, which includes three elderly couples, was due to return from Mecca and Medina on October 22. With no certainty over when they can fly home, some families have begun sending money to cover the cost of their relatives’ accommodation and meals, while others worry about elderly parents who need regular medical care.

Moharram Ali, 45, a farmer, said, “My father, Sohrab Ali, 70, and mother, Badrun Nisha, 65, call us regularly, asking when they'll be able to return. We have no answers, so we keep reassuring them that flights will resume soon.

The truth is, we do not know when that will happen either.” Moharram is the eldest of the couple’s six children. The family, he said, drew some comfort from the fact that his parents are not alone. The group of 22 pilgrims from Bani, located nearly 20 km from the district headquarters, left for New Delhi on October 5 and flew to Mecca the following day, it is learnt.

For Mobin Khan, 35, the uncertainty has brought anxiety and an unexpected financial strain on the family. His parents, Nizamuddin, 62, and Abartum, 57, remain stranded in Mecca. Mobin, who runs a business, said the travel agent charged Rs 70,000 per person to cover accommodation and meals.

But after their scheduled return on October 21 was disrupted, the agent refused to bear the cost of their stay and food beyond that date, he claimed. The family has since been sending money to his parents to arrange for their own accommodation and meals.

“Over the past five days, the travel agent has given my parents two different dates for their return. Each time, he has said a flight could not be arranged. This morning, he told them they would fly home today, but by the evening, he informed them that the flight had been cancelled again,” Mobin said.

Afsar Ali, 35, also a farmer, said his parents Ashraf Ali, 61, and Chand Tara, 56, spent two months preparing for the pilgrimage, hoping it would be a memorable spiritual journey. “They were so happy when they left on October 5.

They carried all their essential medicines with them, but as the days pass, we are becoming increasingly worried about their health. My parents need regular check-ups with their doctors. They cannot stay there for long,” Afsar said.

“Many of the pilgrims, including my parents, did not carry mobile phones and had to rely on fellow travellers who brought theirs to stay in touch with back home. I keep reassuring my parents that the situation will get normal soon and they will be able to return.

We are also sending them money so that they do not face any financial difficulties while stranded there,” said Afsar. The Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday that the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah were actively engaging with concerned airlines and tour operators to facilitate early return of affected pilgrims.

It said approximately 3,000 stranded Umrah pilgrims had returned to India on available flights over the past week, in addition to more than 10,000 regular Umrah pilgrims who had travelled back on scheduled flights.