Umrah pilgrims deserve to come home with dignity

There is something deeply unsettling about being stuck in a foreign land when you have gone there only to pray. The Kashmiri Umrah pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia did not go for business or pleasure. They went for a spiritual journey. Now, because of flight cancellations, they are waiting, spending money they had not budgeted for, worrying about medicines, about elderly parents, about how long this will go on. So, the phone call by MP Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan to External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar is welcome. He did the right thing by taking up the matter directly, and also by speaking to the Consul General of India in Jeddah. This is what elected representatives are for — to raise the voice of ordinary people when they are helpless. The concerns he raised are real. Additional expenses on hotels, food and medicines are pressing hard on families who saved for years to perform Umrah. Some are old. Some are unwell. The uncertainty is worse than the expense, because no one knows when they will come home. It is good that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has already said the government is coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs, and that the JKAHUC has opened a helpline. But coordination must now turn into action. Special flights need to be arranged. Financial help must reach those who cannot pay more. And basic facilities must be ensured until they return. This is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian one. A stranded pilgrim is a family in distress. The Centre and the UT government must work together, and work fast. These people went to pray. They deserve to come home with dignity, and without further burden.