Daijiworld Media Network

New Delhi, Jul 23: Rajya Sabha Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa has alleged that Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is lying to the Lok Sabha about the whereabouts of 39 Indian youths missing in Iraq.

The 39 labourers, mostly from Punjab, were reportedly abducted around mid-June 2014 from Mosul after it came under the control of the Islamic State. However, Swaraj met the kin of the abducted youth last week and gave them assurance that the missing Indians were in a jail in Badush town of Iraq.

But a TV news report which showed the Badush jail razed to the ground has again given rise to speculation if the missing Indians are alive.

Lashing out against Swaraj for giving false hope to the already distressed kin, Bajwa was quoted saying “She is the external affairs minister. She would have certainly known the truth about the youths. Still, she kept on misleading the families back home that they were safe and held hostage by ISIS.” He further added that the ISIS militants are said to be on the run and it is not possible that they are taking hostages along.

Bajwa demanded a parliamentary committee to look into the issue and said a team should be sent to Mosul in Iraq to know the reality first-hand. “It should be made clear to them whether the men were alive or not,” he said.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on Saturday tweeted: “Unfortunate that Sushmaji & MEA continue to mislead the families of 39 Indians missing in Iraq. Not just clueless but also heartless.”

DSGMC president Manjit Singh GK said the government seemed clueless and that the External Affairs Minister should insist on definite information during her meeting with the Iraqi minister.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Dr Ibrahim al-Jaafari arrives India on July 24 on a four-day-visit and clarity on the missing Indians issue is expected.