Government assures timely arrangements for Haj
By IANSMonday, August 2, 2010
NEW DELHI - Against the backdrop of a controversy over arrangements for the Haj, the external affairs ministry Monday said it was in touch with various ministries to ensure the timely preparations for the annual pilgrimage undertaken by over 150,000 Indian Muslims every year.
“Government of India attaches great importance to making all necessary arrangements in a timely manner for Haj 2010,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said here.
“There are some ongoing cases pertaining to Haj matters in various courts of law in the country,” he said.
“MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) has been in regular touch with other concerned ministries/organizations in this regard so as to facilitate the timely completion of preparations,” he added.
The clarification came amid reports of differences between the external affairs ministry and the law ministry over issues relating to the Haj.
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna is understood to have conveyed his unhappiness to Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily over the absence of government lawyers during a high court hearing on the sensitive matter July 26.
Krishna has reportedly asked the law ministry “to make arrangements to hire senior Supreme Court lawyer K.K. Venugopal to represent the MEA in such sensitive cases”.
