Nurses return home: Indian diplomacy gets shot in arm
Now,
little
dissection
of
how
the
whole
process
got
culminated
and
who
actually
helped
Indian
Government
in
coaxing
ISIS
network
which
finally
relented
after
holding
nurses
for
more
than
two
weeks
in
their
clutches.
Minister
of
External
affairs
Sushma
Swaraj
should
be
highly
applauded
for
her
proactive
role
and
leaving
no
stone
unturned
for
rescuing
Indian
nurses
from
a
strife
torn
Iraq.
As
per
sources,
Sushma
unofficially
held
couple
of
back-channel
talk
with
various
Sunni
countries
like
Syria,
Jordan
and
Turkey
and
facilitated
the
whole
process.
Minister
also
made
dozens
of
calls
to
her
counterparts
in
various
countries
ranging
from
Arab
to
US
and
Russia
and
took
various
intelligence
inputs
from
them
which
has
finally
borne
fruits.
Reports
say,
Foreign
Affairs
Minister
even
cancelled
visit
to
her
own
constituency
and
took
this
matter
on
priority
basis.
"All
national
assets
were
used,
including
India's
international
goodwill,"
Foreign
Ministry
spokesperson
Syed
Akbaruddin
said,
when
asked
about
how
this
onerous
task
was
made
possible.
India asserts on the matter
According to a report in The telegraph, India has also used its clout with Saudi Arabia on this issue. Through some of its intermediaries India had sent message to Saudi Arabia's grand mufti, Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh and requested him to intervene on the matter. ISIS militants hold grand mufti in high regards and it is because of the fact that he is the top most interpreter of Saudi Arabia's strict religious code of Wahhabi Sunni practice.
Return of nurses is another feather in Modi’s cap
"Diplomacy works through the front doors. We are using other doors and how those doors were used and knocked on and how they were opened up is a story for another day. The story for today is that one of those doors opened and we were able to extricate our nationals," Akbaruddin said.
Although nothing has officially been confirmed about how whole diplomatic channel have worked on the issue. But what matters the most is safe return of Indian nationals and how it happened is a trivial issue.
Taking
cue
from
this
particular
case,
government
should
put
in
place
a
mechanism
to
deal
with
such
cases.
A
committee
of
expert
negotiators
and
apt
interlocutors
must
be
formed
who
could
give
a
road
map
in
such
situations.
Before
this
incident
the
dispensation
at
power
always
had
a
laid-back
attitude
and
few
examples
could
be
the
Kuwait
crisis
where
Indian
nationals
had
to
fend
for
themselves
and
the
government
gave
a
very
late
reaction.
Similarly
during
2011
Libya
crisis,
because
of
our
lackadaisical
approach
Indian
nationals
had
to
suffer.
Our
Embassies
in
foreign
country
should
also
be
made
more
approachable
so
that
during
conflict
situation,
Indian
citizens
can
easily
approach
and
contact
them.
The
pertinent
point
is
like
America
why
can't
we
assert
our
right?
Why
India
can't
call
shots
like
America?
This
instance
has
given
a
clear
picture
that
India
very
well
knows
how
to
deal
decisively
in
tough
situations
like
these.
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
has
sent
strong
message
that
India
is
not
timid
and
feeble
anymore
and
knows
how
to
assert
its
right.
This
gives
a
surety
that
in
coming
days,
Indian
diplomacy
will
become
stronger.