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Indians pay tribute to Saudi king, national mourning Saturday
India's leaders Friday paid
respect to deceased Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud,
and announced a one-day national mourning Saturday in his respect.
The national flag will be flown at half mast throughout the day across India.
"His
majesty King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, custodian of the two holy
mosques, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has passed away. As a mark of respect
to the departed dignitary, the government of India has decided that
there will be one day's national mourning Jan 24," said a statement from
the home ministry.
"The national flag will be flown at half mast
Jan 24 throughout India and there will be no official entertainment on
the day," the statement said.
Indian leaders, led by President
Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Friday condoled his
death and said he was a "guiding force" and a "close friend" of India.
In
a condolence message, Mukherjee said: "My heartfelt condolences to the
government, royal family and people of Saudi Arabia over the sad demise
of King Abdullah."
The Saudi king died of complications from pneumonia early Friday.
The
president said: "In his passing away, Saudi Arabia had lost a beloved
leader, India a close friend and the world, an elder statesman.
"King
Abdullah had genuine warmth and affection for India and our people. He
was personally committed to improving bilateral ties with India," a
statement from Rashtrapati Bhavan said.
Describing the Saudi king
as a guiding force, Modi said: "In King Abdullah, we have lost an
important voice, who left a lasting impact on his country. I condole his
demise."
"Our thoughts are with the people of Saudi Arabia, who
have lost a guiding force in King Abdullah, during this hour of grief. A
few days ago, I spoke to Crown Prince Salman and enquired about King
Abdullah's health. News of King Abdullah's passing away is saddening,"
he said.
India's energy security depends a lot on Saudi Arabia which accounts for 20 percent of the country's oil imports.
Kerala
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy recalled the Saudi king as one who in
general was considerate to Indians, particularly to Keralites.
He
fondly recalled that during the period when Nitaqat (a Saudi government
initiative to boost local employment) was in force in the oil-rich
kingdom in 2013, it was through the king's intervention that many
requests to the Saudi government were accepted.
"Over the past
many decades, Saudi Arabia has been home to lakhs of Keralites, who earn
a living by working there and the departed's vision made this happen,"
Chandy said in a message.
According to a recent study on the
diaspora by the Centre for Development Studies, of the 2.36 million
Kerala diaspora, 25.2 percent are in Saudi Arabia.