External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said 41 Indians captured in Iraq were safe and hoped they would be released soon. Replying to Calling Attention in lok Sabha, the Minister suggested the House should appeal for the release before “Eid as a special Ramazan gift.”
However there was no resolution on this regard.
“While we don’t have any direct contact with them, but according to several sources, we have got to know they are safe and alive, they are being given food,” Swaraj said. To questions about the action plan to get them released, she refused to reveal details, saying the fundamental principle of such negotiations was secrecy. “Did you get to know our plan when we got the 46 nurses from Kerala releasedIJ”
While making the suggestion in the lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister appeared to send out a message to the Islamist militants holding the hostages by reminding that India had refused to send armed forces to Iraq when the Americans went there over a decade back.
“The holy period of Ramazan is on. The House should appeal to those who have kept these 41 Indians captive to release them before Eid as a special Ramazan gift,” she said.
“The safety and security of Indian nationals, especially 41 Indians in captivity in Mosul, is a matter of foremost concern and pre-occupation for us. We are leaving no stone unturned for their safe return,” she added. India has had “very good historical relations” with Iraq and “it must be recalled that several years ago, it was this House that had passed a resolution and we did not send our armed forces to Iraq,” Swaraj said.
However, the House did not adopt a resolution as Speaker Sumitra Mahajan took up the next item on the agenda immediately after Swaraj ended her reply to the motion raised by Congress member KC Venugopal, RSP’s NK Premachandran and AAP’s Dharam Vira Gandhi.