Former Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has been hospitalised during an all-party delegation visit to the Gulf region. BJP MP Baijayant Jay Panda confirmed Azad is stable and under medical supervision.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has been hospitalised while on an official visit to the Gulf region as part of an all-party Indian delegation. BJP MP Baijayant Jay Panda, who is heading the delegation, confirmed Azad’s condition on Tuesday, saying he is stable and currently under medical supervision.
“Halfway into our delegation’s tour, Shri @ghulamnazad has had to be admitted to hospital. He is stable, under medical supervision, and will be undergoing some tests and procedures,” Panda wrote on X. “His contributions to the meetings in Bahrain and Kuwait were highly impactful, and he is disappointed at being bedridden. We will deeply miss his presence in Saudi Arabia and Algeria,” Panda added.
Details about the exact location and name of the hospital where the 76-year-old former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister has been admitted were not immediately available.
The delegation, which includes MPs and dignitaries from various political parties, is on a diplomatic mission to 33 countries. The outreach is aimed at countering Pakistan’s global narrative and highlighting India’s response to terrorism, particularly in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 Indian soldiers were killed.
The team has already visited Bahrain (May 23) and Kuwait (May 25), with Azad participating actively in both rounds of high-level meetings with political leaders. Panda said Azad’s inputs were “highly impactful” and added that he was disappointed to miss the upcoming engagements in Saudi Arabia and Algeria due to his health.
The delegation currently in Riyadh includes Nishikant Dubey, Phangnon Konyak, Rekha Sharma (all BJP), Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM), Satnam Sandhu (nominated), and former foreign secretary Harsh V Shringla.
They are scheduled to meet political leaders, officials, policy influencers, and members of the Indian diaspora across the Gulf and North Africa as part of India’s diplomatic response following the precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK under Operation Sindoor earlier this month.
(With PTI inputs)