Cabinet reviews Haj preparations

The Council of Ministers, chaired by Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, reviewed the Kingdom’s preparations for the annual pilgrimage, which is likely to start on Oct. 2.
Prince Salman highlighted Saudi Arabia’s efforts in the service of pilgrims, including the expansion of the two holy mosques and the implementation of giant projects in the holy sites for the welfare of the guests of God.
The Kingdom has deployed about 70,000 officers, including traffic POLICE, to ensure the safety and security of pilgrims.
About 900,000 foreign pilgrims have already arrived from different parts of the world.
Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said the Cabinet expressed its pride on the Kingdom’s 84th National Day, while highlighting the progress it has achieved under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
The Cabinet also reviewed regional and global efforts to combat terrorism and praised a statement issued by the Council of Senior Islamic Scholars denouncing terrorism as a heinous CRIME and backing the government’s campaign to fight extremists and terrorists.
The Cabinet expressed the Kingdom’s deep regret for events taking place in Yemen, which threaten its security and stability, and welcomed an agreement of peace and national partnership signed by political parties.
Saudi Arabia hopes that this agreement would enable Yemen to overcome the present crisis, pointing out what was expressed by the GCC Ministerial Council following a meeting in New York emphasizing the six-member group’s support for Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to maintain legitimacy and stop bloodshed.
Khoja said the Cabinet approved a defense cooperation agreement with Indonesia, which was signed in Jakarta on 22/03/1435H. It also endorsed another accord with the UN Office for Coordination on Humanitarian Affairs.
The Cabinet renewed the membership of Dr. Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Samari in the Board of Directors of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA). It appointed Dr. Hani Aburas, Dr. Abdulwahid bin Khalid Al-Hamid, Abdullah bin Said Al-Mubti, Mansour bin Saleh Al-Maiman, Abdullah bin Ali Al-Majdouie, and Abdulwahab bin Mohammed Al-Fayez as members of the Board of Directors of SCTA for three years.
The Cabinet reshuffled the board of directors of the Riyadh Development Authority, with the Riyadh governor as its chairman. The 14-member board includes representatives from various government departments.
The Cabinet also reshuffled the INSURANCE Dispute Settlement Committee in Riyadh.
Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Amoghaiuli is the new chairman, while Dr. Ayedh bin Sultan Al-Buqami and Dr. Miteb bin Saleh Al-Ashaiwi are members.

http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/634396

Haj reunites sisters from three different countries

The Haj pilgrimage this year has reunited three Indian sisters who now live in different countries, giving them an opportunity to relive memories of their childhood which they spent in Allahabad.

Shahana Mirza, Farzana Mirza and Durdana Mirza happened to make it to the annual pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia this year by sheer coincidence and are savouring the moment.

In 1977, Shahana, the eldest of the Mirza sisters, married a distant cousin of hers in Karachi in Pakistan and has made it to India only thrice since then. Two years later, Farzana married Yawar Siddiqui, who then worked in Chicago.

Durdana married an engineer in Bangalore. Her husband is accompanying her to Haj and so is Yawar, Farzana's husband.

For all of them it is a great reunion. "It seldom happens this way, and it was never planned. We applied for Haj in India through the government-supervised Haj Committee. Too many people apply, and pilgrims are decided through a computerised draw of lots. We were lucky to have been chosen this year," Shakir Bazmi, Durdana's husband, told 'Arab News'.

"We wrote to Shahana in Pakistan and she told us they too were coming to Saudi Arabia for Haj. We were delighted beyond words. Then the word came that their sister in the United States was also going to perform. Our happiness knew no bounds. For the sisters it was like a fairy tale," said Bazmi.

The three sisters met last week in the vicinity of the holy Kaaba in Mecca. They hugged each other and relived their childhood memories.

"We did meet on different occasions, sometimes in India, sometimes in Pakistan, but we were never at one place together," said Durdana.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/haj-reunites-sisters-from-three-different-countries-67775?cp