No proof that missing Indians in Mosul dead, says Sushma Swaraj

A full three years have passed since 39 Indian construction workers, most of them from Punjab, were abducted by the Islamic State terror organisation from their job site in Mosul, Iraq.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today made a statement in Parliament on 39 Indians missing in Iraq and clarified she did not mislead the nation on the issue since the government cannot declare anybody dead without evidence.

"Declaring anyone dead without proof is a sin and I won't commit a sin," Swaraj said in the Lok Sabha, responding to allegations that she was "misleading the house" on whether the Indians were alive.

"I will inform the House if I get any concrete evidence. Opposition is alleging that I'm misleading the House. It is a sin to declare someone is dead without any evidence. I will not do that sin, said Sushma Swaraj.

"I had asked the Embassy to collect evidence. We didn't get any evidence of mass killing. So we started to search for Indians," she added.

I am still calling them as "missing persons," will continue to search for them, she reiterated.

Further adding she siad, "One Harjeet Massi informed the government that 40 Indians have been captured by the Islamic State. They have killed all of them. I was the only one who managed to escape, he said."

When one person says they have been killed, six sources said they are alive. What should I do? asked Swaraj.

I don't have evidence to say they are alive, but I don't have proof to say they are dead. So we are continuing with the search operation. Also, Iraq has never said the missing Indians are dead, Swaraj said.

I have spoken to my Turkey counterpart. They are helping us in tracing the missing Indians. Other countries are also willing to help, she added.

Uproar in Lok Sabha

Earlier, there was a massive uproar in Lok Sabha on Wednesday after External Minister Sushma Swaraj began to make a statement on 39 missing Indians in Iraq, the opposition MPs continued to interrupt her speech.

"I am ready to speak as the matter is serious. I can't give a statement in such uproar. They must not storm the Well," the external affairs minister said in Lok Sabha.

"Haven't misled anyone. I will speak for 20-22 minutes. Let me finish my statement and then do whatever you want to do. I will not speak unless there is silence," she stressed.

Senior Opposition leader Mallikarjuna Kharge said that we were as much concerned as the government on this issue. He insisted debates on lynchings and agrarian crisis.

"Don't you want to know what is happening to Indians in Mosul, asks Sumitra Mahajan, requesting MPs to go back to the seat. We will allot time for this. Right now, allow her to speak," said Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.

But, in barely a few minutes, the Lok Sabha was adjourned.

A full three years have passed since 39 Indian construction workers, most of them from Punjab, were abducted by the Islamic State terror organisation from their job site in Mosul, Iraq.

Recently, Sushma met the relatives of the missing Indians and said they might be imprisoned in Badush region of northwest Mosul. However, a media report claimed that the prison was reduced to a rubble during the fighting between the Iraqi coalition forces and Islamic State.

OneIndia News