For thousands of Indians living in Iraq there is a tough choice to make between livelihood and life. Over 10,000 Indians have left behind their families back home in the villages of India. And for this, they took hefty loans too.
They went with the promise of returning home with good money for better life. But with the fighting between the ISIS Jehadis and Iraqi troops getting bitter in certain parts of Iraq, and the fear of their own safety being compromised, some have packed bags and come back, while some are still contemplating. However, there are an equal number of Indian workers who have refused to come back. Several Indians in Iraq have chosen livelihood over safety and have decided to stay back.
About 1,000 Indians are returning in a day or two, but what worries the Government is that a significant number of them want to stay back. On Monday, about 450 Indian workers employed in a factory in Iraq told officials of the Indian mission they would like to take a chance and stay.
The decision is equally tough for the officials involved in contingency plans. The matter was discussed in the special meeting of National Crisis Management Committee (NCMS), headed by Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth last week. Besides, safety officials expressed concern for securing livelihood for those who return and it was widely agreed that a forcible evacuation of Indians may result in losing jobs and money.
A majority of Indians, at present, are living in non-conflict zones. But with ISIS declaring establishment of a Caliphate there is an apprehension that the Sunni-Shia battle in Iraq will only get bitter and possibly prolonged. Which is why Indian officials in Iraq are “pro-actively convincing” their people, almost going door-to-door, asking them to leave Iraq. They are also sitting across tables with their employers to sort contractual clauses and working out an arrangement.
Meanwhile, with latest incidents of bombing and firing in Tikrit, 46 nurses from Kerala have shifted to the basement of the hospital campus for safety. These nurses have been stranded in the hospital are spending their time in a basement of a building within the hospital campus where they worked, according to a source. Indian officials claim that they remain “safe and unharmed” and are being provided with eatables and other resources and they will be evacuated once the roads open up.
“There has been bombing and firing in the vicinity of their (nurses’) building. They have taken refuge in the basement. They are in an extremely delicate situation. We have informed the Iraqi agencies of their location and we remain hopeful that despite these difficulties, we will be able to extricate them,” said Syed Akbaruddin, spokesperson for Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). About 39 kidnapped Indian workers still are in captivity.
In the meantime, Nepal, which has no embassy in Iraq, has sought India’s help in facilitating departure of its nationals. So far 230 Indians are already out of the Iraq. They are mainly from north India, Hyderabad, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.