Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed, leader of India's Haj goodwill delegation, and Anwar Mohammad Khan, deputy leader, pose for a photo with the top officials of Indian Embassy and Consulate General and their spouses during a reception at King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah on Thursday night. The officials included Hemant Kotalwar, charge d' affaires at the Indian Embassy, Consul General B.S. Mubarak, and Haj Consul Muhammad Noor Rahman Sheikh. Mehbooba's daughter Irtiqa Javed and Khan's wife Rehana Anwar also accompanied them. — Courtesy photo Hassan Cheruppa Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed, member of parliament and president of Jammu & Kashmir's ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), arrived here on Thursday night, leading the two-member Indian goodwill delegation for this year's Haj. Anwar Mohammad Khan, chairman of Madhya Pradesh State Minorities Commission, is the deputy leader of the delegation. They were accorded a warm reception at King Abdulaziz International Airport by Hemant Kotalwar, charge d' affaires at the Indian Embassy — Riyadh, Consul General B.S. Mubarak, Deputy Consul General and Haj Consul Sheikh Muhammad Noor Rahman Sheikh, Mohammed Shahid Alam, Haj Consul designate, and other senior officials of the Indian Haj mission. Later, they headed to Makkah to perform Umrah. Sayeed is one of the most influential political leaders from the Kashmir Valley. She is the daughter of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and former home minister of India. Sayeed has been elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian parliament, from Anantnag constituency in 2004 and 2014. She made a mark as leader of opposition in the Jammu & Kashmir state assembly. The PDP-BJP alliance is now ruling the state. Last year, the goodwill delegation was headed by Arif Baig, former federal minister and leader of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party from Madhya Pradesh state. Abdul Rashid Ansari of Delhi, national president of the BJP's Minority Morcha, was the deputy leader of the delegation.
