Hyderabad: The heavy fighting in Iraq has not led to any dip in pilgrim tours to Karbala and Najaf, visited by an estimated 6,000 pilgrims every month from all over India. At the moment, 100 pilgrims from Hyderabad are in Karbala and all are said to be safe.
Tour operators in the city said that the travel advisory issued by the Government of India is being taken into account, but as of now there is no danger in these two regions. Hasan Ali of Ziaraat Tours, on his return from Karbala on June 15, said, “I have just returned and the stretch from Karbala to Najaf is safe.
The pilgrims are always accompanied by tour operators and if there is any danger, the information is communicated to the guest houses in these cities. But so far, there is no danger. If there is any disturbance the operations could be affected”.
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Tour operators said that there are 20 flights in operation for Indian pilgrims ferrying over 6,000 people every month. So far there is no cancellation. Mir Firasath Ali Baqri, a resident of Abids, said, “A lot of people from Hyderabad and nearby areas have gone for the Shab-e-barat.
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Some have come back but others are still there. The areas of Karbala and Najaf are safe and there is no fighting in the area. But there are skirmishes in Samarra where travel has been prohibited.”
Samarra is located 223 km away from Karbala, and most pilgrims visit the city to visit its holy shrines. But these trips have now been cancelled.
Many pilgrims have made bookings for the coming month of Ramzan since some spend the entire month in Karbala. But due to the fighting, many operators have cautioned pilgrims and are not accepting bookings for the entire month. The Dawoodi Bohras, a sect of the Shias, have cancelled bookings for Ramzan citing safety. Other operators are offering only 10 to 15-day packages for Ramzan adopting a wait and watch policy.
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