With the situation in Iraq getting worse by the day, and the USA now even sending its troops to protect its diplomats and other citizens, the NDA Government on Tuesday called for a “crisis management meeting” in New Delhi to discuss evacuation and assistance plans for the Indians stranded in the strife-torn country.
In the special meeting, the Government also reviewed their safety while 24x7 help lines and control rooms were made functional in Baghdad, New Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram to provide information and assistance to those in need.
With news coming in from Iraq of a few nurses and some other Indians being stranded in Tikrit and Mosul, the Government made it clear that the situation in Iraq was receiving high priority. Though the Indians in Iraq so far are learnt to be safe, MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said that Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj is herself monitoring evacuation and assistance plans.
In fact, the crisis management meeting was called on the insistence of Swaraj who asked Secretary East in-charge of Gulf region, Anil Wadhwa, to see how effectively and quickly Indians can be assisted in Iraq.
Wadhwa also met the Iraqi Ambassador in India, Ahmad Tahsin Ahmad Berwari, in South Block to discuss possibilities of ground-level cooperation in assisting Indian nationals stranded in Mosul and Tikrit.
The Indian Embassy in Baghdad has already set up a 24- hour helpline for the Indian nationals there.In New Delhi, MEA has set up a Rs Control Room’ to provide information to all concerned, while in Thiruvananthapuram, the Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Department (NORKA) of the Kerala Government too set up a 24-hour helpdesk to provide updated information on the situation in Iraq.
Over 10,000 Indians are estimated to be currently spread out all over Iraq. Out of these about 45 nurses are stranded in Tikrit, while 40 other Indians are stuck in Mosul. Sources said the Indian mission in Baghdad was in regular touch with the Iraqi Government and the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) to ensure the safety of Indians. In fact, on the request of the Indian Government, a team of International Red Crescent has managed to establish contact with the nurses in Tikrit and reported back that they were safe. However, their evacuation would be possible only when the roads become risk-free. According to reports 32 nurses in Tikrit had expressed their desire to return to India while the others are unable to take a decision as they were yet to receive salary arrears.
“The Indian Embassy in Baghdad is providing us updated reports on their contacts with the Indian nationals in the affected areas. We shall be monitoring the situation on an hourly basis,” Akbaruddin said.