The greener pastures across the seas have once again turned into quagmire for Punjab youngsters. A terrorist group operating in Iraq has reportedly abducted 40 Indian workers, majority of them from Punjab.
Their whereabouts are not known and no ransom call has so far been received by anyone.
Concerned, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday called up Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to secure the release of Punjabis. On the other hand, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal claimed that their “security” has been assured by the Union External Affairs Minister.
“Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had spoken to me this morning and informed about steps taken by the Centre for the Indians stranded in Iraq….She informed me that the Centre is monitoring the situation on regular basis and has taken up the matter with the concerned people to ensure safety of those struck in Iraq,” said Sukhbir Badal.
He, however, did not provide the exact number of people taken hostage in Iraq, but said that it was between 40 and 50.
Chief Minister Badal, while seeking “prompt intervention of the Union Government to immediately bring back Punjabis to their motherland", said that the Centre should make all-out efforts for ensuring safe release of all these Punjabis thereby saving their precious lives.
“It is high time that the Centre must exploit all diplomatic channels for bringing back these Punjabis from Iraq,” said Badal while expressing solidarity with the family of kidnapped Punjabis.
Maintaining that there was hardly anything in hands of the State Government as the matter pertain to the Foreign Affairs, Chief Minister directed the Deputy Commissioners to keep close liaison with the family members of abducted Punjabis to update them about latest developments in this regard. Badal also asked the Centre that the State Government would bear entire expenditure for the safe return of these Punjabis.
Deputy leader of the Congress in the lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh, expressing grave concern, also sought the Centre’s urgent intervention to ensure their safe return.
“The families of all these people have lost touch with them….The situation is turning dangerous in Iraq, and the Government must ensure that all Indians stuck there are safely evacuated….Besides 40 people abducted, several nurses working in Iraq have also sought assistance from the Centre which must be provided to them,” said Punjab’s former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder.
Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Tota Singh appealed to the Centre to take all possible measures to ensure safety of all Punjabis working in Iraq, keeping in view the civil war like situation there.
“Union External Affairs Minister has said that she was keeping a close watch on the situation in Iraq and assured Punjab Government that all timely efforts would be made to evacuate Punjabis from there….The State Government is constantly in touch with the Central Government, and the Centre has also assured the safe return of all Indian citizens from Iraq,” he said.
At the same time, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has also given firm assurance that all-out efforts would be made for safe evacuation of people from Haryana who have been stranded in the strife-torn Iraq.
“The State Government is keeping a close watch on emerging situation in Iraq and is in constant touch with the Union Ministries of Home and External Affairs to ensure safe evacuation of the people of the State,” he said.
The State Government has also set up a control room with 24X7 telephone number — 0172-5059197 “to provide any information regarding members of his family or relatives stranded in Iraq”.
The officer in-charge for the control room would be the State’s Information and Public Relations Department, additional director (Press) Rajiv Khosla, and can be contacted at 09780177895 anytime.
Union Minister Swaraj has, earlier in the day, called Amritsar-resident Gurpinder Kaur, whose brother Manjinder Singh is stuck along with five other youngsters from the holy city, in Iraq. “Sushma ji consoled me and also assured of every possible help…She said that the government is trying everything to bring back Indian youth safely from Iraq,” said Gurpinder Kaur.
24-year-old Manjinder was among other Punjabi boys working with one of the Iraqi company which was closed after the area was captured by the ISIS warriors. It has been learnt that there are about 41 Punjabi boys in Mosul and were working there for last 10 months. After the city was captured by the ISIS, the boys reportedly are under the care of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Gurpinder, along with others, had earlier urged the Centre to accelerate their efforts for bringing the stranded boys home, besides approaching the Indian embassy in Baghdad as well as officials in the Ministry of External Affairs. The anxious family members had also offered prayers in Sikh shrines for the safe return of their children.
“My brother got trapped by a travel agent who first sent him to Dubai and later left him in Iraq where he got stuck….My brother called me on Sunday and informed that ISIS is taking care of them and wanted to help them out for their retrieval back to India,” she said.
She added that her brother told her that the ISIS wanted someone from the Indian Government to whom they would hand over all Indians safely without any condition. Kaur has been in touch with the Indian embassy in Bagdad and has also sent request to the External Affairs Minister for help.
Gurpinder said that most of the youth doesn't have any travel documents with them. The families of these boys have urged Sushma Swaraj to intervene on the issue and do the needful to bring back the boys to India.
“We are extremely worried after confirmation of abduction of the Punjabis…We are praying for their safe return from Iraq,” said Gurpinder, who along with other relatives were offering prayers for their well being in village Gurdwara.