Hyderabad: The Nizam Awqaf Committee (NAC) has sought the intervention of the Centre to sort out a dispute regarding the rubats at Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. A cold war has been going on between the NAC and Rubat caretaker, Hasan Mohd al Shareef, regarding control over two rubats at Mecca and Medina. Both the rubats had been established by successive Nizams of Hyderabad.
The rubats were intended to provide accommodation to pilgrims from the erstwhile state of Hyderabad during their stay for Haj and Umrah, giving special consideration to the members of the Nizam’s family.
In 1980, one Mohamed Shareef was appointed as the nazir to take care of the rubats and after his demise in 1996, his son Hussain Mohammed al Shareef and Yousuf Bin Awad Lahamadi were appointed as caretakers till proper arrangements could be made.
In a letter to external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, the NAC has alleged that Mr Hussain Mohammed was not the permanent caretaker of the rubats and had no power to allot accommodations to the pilgrims. He had, however, declared himself caretaker and even started his own website for the accommodations.
