?Hajis? back with blessings!

THE FIRST batch of 253 ?hajis? (pilgrims) arrived at the Amausi Airport on Thursday afternoon to an emotional welcome by their near and dear ones. It was a mixed bag of feelings, joyous and of grief. That the scars of the tragedy in Mina in which 25 pilgrims from the State died in a stampede were still fresh in their minds became clear when unable to hold their emotions a couple of them broke down as soon as they came out the airport terminus.

THE FIRST batch of 253 ‘hajis’ (pilgrims) arrived at the Amausi Airport on Thursday afternoon to an emotional welcome by their near and dear ones. It was a mixed bag of feelings, joyous and of grief. That the scars of the tragedy in Mina in which 25 pilgrims from the State died in a stampede were still fresh in their minds became clear when unable to hold their emotions a couple of them broke down as soon as they came out the airport terminus.

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While Mohd Iqbal Qureshi of Aliganj saw home turf through misty eyes, it was sheer joy flowed in the form of tears through the eyes of a Aftab, a young lawyer, to see his parents Bilqees Fatima and MA Siddiqui back from the pilgrimage. “Luckily, my parents were connected through cellphone and I could immediately learn about their well-being when the tragedy at Mina occurred,” said Aftab, a resident of Gola Ganj.

So, what could the disaster be attributed to and were there any lessons to be learnt for future pilgrimage? “Haj travelers must keep in mind the timing of various prayers and rituals that are to be performed at Mecca,” advises Anis Ahmed of Rajajipuram, who returned with the Haji status along with his better half Zahida Begum. According to Ahmed, the stampede occurred because pilgrims lost track of the prayer timings made a dash when they realised this.

Anwar Ali of Aishbagh, however, said that the management in Saudi Arab should reconsider the arrangements and remove the existing loopholes that led to the tragedy.

The second flight carrying 284 ‘hajis’ touched down at around 3 pm. There were chaotic scenes as 96 passengers had left some of their baggage the Jeddah airport.

Later, a condolence meeting attended by Urban Development Minister Azam Khan was held at the Haj House in Sarojini Nagar.