NEW DELHI, July 27:
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today said that since there was no evidence that 39 Indians missing in Mosul were dead or alive, the Government could not declare them dead. Responding in the Rajya Sabha to questions raised by Mr Partap Singh Bajwa of the Congress and others regarding 39 Indians missing in Mosul, Ms Swaraj said the Government could not declare anyone dead without any proof in this regard.
”I feel that declaring anyone dead without any proof is a sin. The House should tell me if I should stop the search or continue to trace them as six sources give optimistic response,” Ms Swaraj said. She refuted Mr Bajwa’s charge that she had misled the House.
”Mr Bajwa accused me of misleading the nation. I haven’t misled anyone. I have sought help from every nation willing to help us. I have spoken to Iraq government. I have spoken to Turkey. We have rescued over 80,000 stranded Indians from various countries. I am just one tweet away from helping Indians, ” she said.
Standing by his statement that the Minister had misled the House, Mr Bajwa said, ”We are also praying for the safe return of children. Ms Swaraj says what do I get by misleading the nation. What will Harjit Masih (the only Indian to have escaped ISIS’ clutches) get by misleading ?
” He asked the Minister to reveal her sources. ”Give us proof to show the men are alive. Till then I stand by my comment that Government is misleading the nation,” Mr Bajwa said.
On the claim by Harjit Masih that the 39 Indians had died, Ms Swaraj said, ”I was the first person to talk to Harjit Masih. Masih told me they separated Bangladeshis and Indians. They shot all Indians and I survived. I asked him how did you escape?
He only repeatedly asked me to make sure he comes back. ”Later, when I spoke to the brother of an abductee Nishant Singh, he said he spoke to his brother on June 17, when Masih spoke to me on June 15. You are believing a Masih but not a minister ?
” On Mr Bajwa wanting to know her sources, she said, ”My sources are a foreign minister and a Head of the State.” On Congress’ Ambika Soni charging the Minister of not sharing information and asking her to reveal her sources, the Minister, pointing to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, asked if the sources could be revealed in such secret operations. (UNI)
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