Channels opened through Saudi Arabia to get abducted Indian men back

The Indian government, according to the information emerging, has opened up Saudi channels on Friday. The government has also sought safety and early release of all the 40 Indian workers who have been kidnapped and kept in Iraq. This is a very recent development in this abduction case and the External Affairs Ministry seems to handle this matter very seriously.

Earlier, the Ministry has also set-up a 24 Hours Control Room to provide information on Iraq. Its Phone, Fax and Email details were put up on twitter by the ministries spokesperson.

India and Saudi Arabia share a very friendly relation since a long time. Apart from oil supply to India, Saudi Arabia has helped the county to get back 26/11 accused Abu Jundal. This time too, India has opened up channels through Saudi Arabia in order to bring back those 40 abducted Indians from Iraq.

Early this week, 40 men from India, working in Iraq were abducted by suspected ISIS, a Sunni led terrorist outfit. The location in the beginning was untraceable. However, later it was tracked down to Mosul city of Iraq.

The relatives of the abducted Indians are in a worry. Most of these men are from Punjab and had been working there in a construction company. Reports claimed that some of them do not even have passports.

The Minister of External Affairs, Ms. Sushma Swaraj met the families of the abducted Indian men and assured them of all assistance, a tweet from the Ministries official spokesperson, Mr. Syed Akbaruddin confirmed.

Another tweet from Mr. Akbaruddin informed, “@PMOIndia chaired a meet on situation of Indian Nationals in Iraq.

On June 19^th, Ms. Sushma Swaraj had also met Punjab’s Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and discuss the situation. Mr. Syed Akbaruddin had also informed that the Indian Embassy in Baghdad is in regular touch with Indian nationals and advising them and monitoring the activity at Hqrs.

The Times of India quoted former RAW officer Jayant Umranikar who said, “We have no capability in the region to execute a rescue operation in Iraq on our own. Putting pressure on the militants there through Saudi Arabia is a good idea but there too we need the help of the US.”

Saudi Arabia might put pressure on the Sunni militants to release the workers whom they’ve abducted. This can be helpful in getting the workers back in India.

Meanwhile, an Iraq news website NBC Montana reported that volunteers there are ready to fight the ISIS. The website reported that the country’s top religious and political leaders appealed for able-bodied men of fighting age to volunteer to defend the country.

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About Suyash Karangutkar

Suyash Karangutkar is a young, dedicated and an enthusiastic journalist who has a deep interest in National and International Affairs. He is an ardent political spectator who finds politics fascinating. At Spectralhues, he heads the Mumbai team and covers National Affairs & Politics. He also occasionally writes columns for Spectralhues. He can be followed on Twitter @columnistsuyash