Punjab Government on Friday maintained that the Centre was making all efforts to locate the whereabouts of 39 Indian youths who had been held hostage for nearly a year by the ISIS militants in Iraq.
A day after one of the "lone survivor" among the 40 Indian youths held hostage by militants created furore by claiming that all 39 had been killed, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said that the Centre was making strenuous efforts to locate the whereabouts of the Punjabis trapped in Iraq.
"The State Government is in constant touch with the Centre to know the details of the sons of the soil trapped in Iraq," he said.
Terming that it was unfortunate that all these youth have not come back till now, Badal said that the state government and the Centre were leaving no stone unturned to ensure their safe release.
The Chief Minister said that he had personally taken up the issue with the Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who was taking keen interest in evacuating these youth from the strife-torn Iraq.
Reiterating the State Government's firm commitment to extend a helping hand to the distressed families, the Chief Minister further said that he had already directed the State Government officers to ensure that the families of the youths were given financial assistance on time.
He said that the State Government was duty bound to help these distressed families in this hour of grave crisis.
25-year-old Harjeet Masih, the lone Indian who escaped from the clutches of ISIS militants in Iraq, had, a day before, claimed that all 39 Indians kept hostage by militants had been shot dead.
Masih, who was kept in protective custody in Iraq, had addressed media here along with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Bhagwant Mann.
NO HIDDEN AGENDA BEHIND DEMANDING ARTIFACTS: Badal
Badal reiterated that the Punjab Government would flag the issue of bringing back the rare books and other artefact taken by the Indian Army from Sikh Reference library, Amritsar, during the Operation Blue Star with the Central Government, while rubbishing the Congress’s allegations of there being a "political or hidden agenda" behind demanding them.
"These rare artefacts were of immense historical and religious significance for each and every Sikh," he said, adding that the State Government was duty bound to bring them back to the state.
He said that the State Government was committed to maintaining peace, communal harmony and brotherhood in the State.
"The Congress leaders see threat to peace in every action of the state government whereas the fact is that they are wary of the development and progress of State," he said.
‘FARIDKOT STUDENTS' CASE TO BE DEAlT AS PER lAW'
Badal said that the case against students who have been booked by Faridkot police for attacking a bus during a protest was "a matter concerning law and order and would be dealt by the police as per the law".
Badal, reacting to a question regarding PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa's demand of unconditional release of the students, said that the demand said that there was hardly any need of violent protest by any section of the society as the State Government was always ready to listen them thoroughly.
He said that his doors were always open for everybody so there was need for creating any problem that could disturb law and order in the State.