Ministry of External Affairs: 3,000 stranded pilgrims return to India

India is stepping up efforts to bring home stranded Umrah pilgrims from Saudi Arabia as escalating tensions in West Asia disrupt air travel across the region. The Ministry of External Affairs says the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General in Jeddah are coordinating with airlines and tour operators to facilitate the earliest possible return of affected pilgrims. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says around 3,000 stranded Umrah pilgrims have returned to India over the past week, alongside more than 10,000 regular pilgrims who travelled on available flights. The missions are also providing welfare assistance, issuing advisories and operating round-the-clock control rooms. The situation remains volatile as of now, with aerial attacks disrupting flights across Riyadh, Dhahran, Jeddah and Medina. Saudi Arabia has also reported intercepting drones in the Riyadh and Medina areas. Meanwhile, AIMI chief and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi has urged the DGCA to allow larger aircraft or arrange special flights to bring stranded pilgrims home. Now in a separate and alarming development, Yemen's armed forces claim that a Saudi attack targeted an Indian yacht near Zoukar Island in the Red Sea, reportedly carrying 14 Indian nationals. Yemeni forces say they are rescuing those abode. The claim remains unverified yet and further details are awaited. The development raises fresh concerns over maritime security and the safety of Indians caught in the widening regional conflict. Demi also says that Indian missions continue coordinating with airlines, tour operators and community volunteers to facilitate the earliest possible return of affected pilgrims. The Indian embassy and the Indian foreign ministry have said that several Indians have returned back in past few weeks and also issued regular advisories including numbers for Indian nationals to reach the Indian side. The Indian airlines meanwhile have suspended their flights to and from Saudi Arabia given the fact that how situation has escalated. We know that not only for India, the worry is when it comes to the diaspora aspect, but also increased worry over the energy as well, given the fact that Saudi Arabia is a major supplier of energy globally. and as the current situation escalates, that could impact the energy flows from the country and that means that could lead to a global issue over energy and that means an inflation for everyone around the world including here in India. Sunan Sipul for Beyond, New Delhi.