Congress Deputy leader in the lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday sought urgent attention of the External Affairs Ministry to save four Indian hostages who have been traced alive in Iraq after several months of their going missing.
Capt Amarinder revealed that the relatives of four of the hostages, whose identity is being kept secret for the security reasons, had approached his office in Amritsar saying that they had credible information that they were very much alive.
They were also aware about the location of the hostages in Iraq, said Capt Amarinder. The former Chief Minister appealed to the Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to intervene urgently and open up the diplomatic channels so that these youth could be brought back home.
“I will be sharing details with the Ministry in confidence,” he said. Quoting the relatives of the hostages, the senior Congress leader said that they had tried to meet the officials of the foreign ministry but had reportedly been cold shouldered. “I hope hoped that Swaraj will take up the matter as urgent and serious to ensure that the boys return home,” said Capt Amarinder.
He observed that after so many months, the relatives of the hostages have on their own, managed to trace whereabouts of the hostages and now it was the responsibility of the Government to secure their safe return.