Hamid Ansari leads Indian delegation to Saudi king's funeral

January 24, 2015

Hamid Ansari

New Delhi, Jan 24: Vice President Hamid Ansari Saturday will lead the Indian government delegation at the funeral of king Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud who died early Friday.

The government has declared a day's mourning Saturday and flags are being flown at half-mast.

An official statement said "the government and people of India have received with deep sadness and shock" the news of King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud who died of complications from pneumonia early Friday.

"India has maintained close and friendly relations with Saudi Arabia under the leadership of King Abdullah. These bonds have been especially strengthened by the presence of the large expatriate Indian community which has found a home in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the statement added.

Ansari is a former Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have sent messages of condolences to King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, who has succeeded him.

The president said: "In his passing away, Saudi Arabia had lost a beloved leader, India a close friend and the world, an elder statesman."

"King Abdullah had genuine warmth and affection for India and our people. He was personally committed to improving bilateral ties with India," a statement from Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

Modi described the Saudi King as a guiding force, and said: "In King Abdullah, we have lost an important voice, who left a lasting impact on his country. I condole his demise.

"Our thoughts are with the people of Saudi Arabia, who have lost a guiding force in King Abdullah, during this hour of grief. A few days ago I spoke to Crown Prince Salman and enquired about King Abdullah's health. News of King Abdullah's passing away is saddening," he added.

India's energy security depends a lot on Saudi Arabia which accounts for 20 percent of the country's oil imports.

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy recalled the Saudi King as one who in general was considerate to Indians, particularly to Keralites.

He said he fondly recalls that during the period when Nitaqat (a Saudi government initiative to boost local employment) was in force in the oil-rich kingdom in 2013, it was through the King's intervention that many requests to the Saudi government were accepted

"Over the past many decades, Saudi Arabia has been home to lakhs of Keralites, who earn a living by working there and the departed's vision made this happen," Chandy said in a message.

According to a recent study on the diaspora by the Centre for Development Studies, out of the 2.36 million Kerala diaspora, 25.2 percent are in Saudi Arabia.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
April 1,2020

Amaravati, Apr 1: All the 43 patients who were tested positive for COVID-19 in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday have returned after attending the event at Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz, said Chief Minister's Office, Andhra Pradesh.

With 43 new COVID-19 positive cases, the total number of coronavirus cases in Andhra Pradesh has reached 87, informed the state Nodal Office earlier today.

The 43 new coronavirus positive cases were reported between March 31, 9 pm and April 1, 9 am. A total of 373 samples were tested during this time period and of these samples, 330 were negative and 43 came out to be positive.

There has been an increase of 240 COVID-19 cases in the last 12 hours across the country.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases have reached 1637 in India, including 1466 active cases, 133 cured/discharged/migrated people and 38 deaths.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
July 10,2020

New Delhi, Jul 10: Nepal has banned all Indian news channels, except DD News, for alleged propaganda against the country.

Reports say that Nepal cable operators have stopped getting signals of Indian news channels.

Nepal government spokesperson Yuvaraj Khatiwada said: "We request all not to disseminate news that infringes sovereignty and self-respect of Nepalis. This includes the media of neighbouring countries. We might seek both political and legal remedies."

Earlier, Nepal has amended its map which show some Indian territory as part of it.

Nepal's parliament on June 13 adopted unanimously the Constitution Amendment Bill, paving the way for accommodating the updated political-administrative map, which includes Indian areas of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura, in its symbol.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
April 16,2020

Kochi, Apr 16: A middle-aged man carrying his ailing father on his shoulders walked close to one-kilometre in Kerala’s Punalur when the autorickshaw he was driving was allegedly stopped by the police over the ongoing lockdown. He was bringing back his father from the hospital after he was discharged on Wednesday.

In a video that has gone viral on social media, the man can be seen carrying his bare-bodied father on the shoulders and struggling to handle the weight while a woman carrying the hospital documents, prescriptions and other items, is running along with him.

The incident took place in Punalur town of Kollam district.

The 65-year-old man, a native of Kulathupuzha, was released from the Punalur Taluk Hospital and his son was taking him home when he was stopped on the road. The man has alleged that even after he produced hospital documents, the police refused to let him pass with the autorickshaw.

The vehicle was stopped about a kilometre from their house in the middle of a traffic jam and the family had to walk the rest of the path. He said even after he told the police and showed papers from hospital he was not allowed to go.

After the video went viral in Kerala, the state human rights commission took suo motu cognizance of the incident.

The nationwide lockdown has prevented all non-essential movement in the public space while medical emergencies have been allowed. The extended lockdown will now continue till May 3.

According to the police, the vehicle did not have the patient when it was stopped. The driver was asked to show a declaration document.

He stepped out of the vehicle and walked to the hospital which was 200 metres from the checkpoint and returned carrying his father on the back, said the police.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.