Indian minister visits Madina after New Delhi, Riyadh sign Haj agreement: reports

An Indian delegation led by Union Minister Smriti Irani visited Madina over the weekend as part of a two-day trip to Saudi Arabia, Indian media outlets reported.

According to The Indian Express, Irani — who is also the women and child development minister — travelled to Madina along with Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan and other senior officials.

It said the delegation interacted with Indian volunteers “who provide dedicated and selfless service to Indian Haj pilgrims, including during Haj 2023” and Umrah pilgrims from India.

In a post shared on social media platform X on Monday, Irani shared photos from her visit and said: “Undertook a historic journey to Medina today, one of Islam’s holiest cities included a visit to the periphery of the revered Prophet’s Mosque, Al Masjid Al Nabwi, the mountain of Uhud, and periphery of the Quba Mosque — the first Mosque of Islam.”

She added that the significance of the visit to these sites “intertwined with early Islamic history” and “underscores the depth of our cultural and spiritual engagement”.