Indian minister thanks Saudi Arabia for ‘excellent’ Hajj

The Indian government has praised the Saudi authorities for the excellent arrangements for the Hajj.

Addressing a press conference in Makkah on Saturday, India's Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar, who headed this year's Hajj Goodwill Mission of the Indian Prime Minister, said he had visited a number of camps allocated to Indian pilgrims in Mina and found them satisfactory.

He thanked the Saudi government and the Hajj Ministry for substantially increasing the Indian Hajj quota this year. Nearly 170,000 Indian pilgrims were allowed to perform Hajj this year.

Akbar met Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal on Friday and conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's good wishes to King Salman. He thanked the Saudi leadership for providing the best possible facilities for the pilgrims.

The selection of Akbar, a high-profile minister, is seen as a sign of India's deep attachment to its relationship with Saudi Arabia.

Akbar was accompanied at the press conference by Ambassador Ahmad Javed, Consul General Noor Rahman Sheikh and Consul (Haj) Mohammed Shahid Alam.

Javed described the Hajj operation as "smooth."

"Everything went according to the plan," said the ambassador.

Consul General Noor Rahman Sheikh said the arrangements were meticulous.

"The crowd management on the part of the Saudi authorities was exceptional," he said. "The flow of pilgrims from Mina into Arafat on Thursday and their return to Muzdalifa and back into Mina on Friday took place with clock-work precision.