Indians missing in Iraq: Will move privilege motion against Sushma Swaraj, says Bajwa

Taking up the issue in the House during zero hour on Monday, Bajwa had mooted that an all-party delegation be sent there to know the ground reality.

He lambasted Sushma for “misleading the parliament and the nation on such a sensitive issue by claiming that these people were alive”. He said he wished they were alive but there was no confirmation.

Around 40 Indians, majority of them Punjabis, were abducted by the ISIS from Iraqi town. One of them, Harjit Masih from Gurdaspur district had managed to escape. He claimed to have witnessed the massacre of the other 39 Indians.

However, Harjit’s version was rejected by Swaraj claiming that she had confirmed from six sources that these people were alive.

“Now, she is saying that she has information from sources. Why is she not revealing those sources? Why is she not making any of the abducted persons talk to any family members? Bajwa asked. “My observation is that initially the government was misled and now it has made it a prestige issue. Harjit Masih has been sent to jail just to keep his mouth shut.”

He said the families of these persons were in a state of utter helplessness in the absence of any concrete information.

He said in case people from any other country had been missing, their respective governments would have taken a very stern stand but “the Modi government just seemed to be indifferent and insensitive”.

Bajwa called upon the Modi government to “instruct the External Affairs Ministry to play a more pro-active role in dealing with these kind of sensitive issues”.