Amarinder seeks MEA help for Iraq hostages

Congress's Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Amarinder Singh on Tuesday sought intervention of the ministry of external affairs (MEA) to save four Indian hostages who have been traced alive in Iraq after several months of their having gone missing.

In a statement here, the former Punjab chief minister disclosed that relatives of four of the hostages, whose identity is being kept secret for security reasons, had approached his office in Amritsar and said that they had credible information that they were very much alive.

"They were also aware about the location of the hostages in Iraq," Amarinder said.

He appealed to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to intervene urgently and open up the diplomatic channels so that these youth could be brought back home.

Amarinder Singh said that he will be sharing the details of the hostages with the ministry in confidence.

Quoting relatives of the hostages, he said that they had tried to meet officials of the foreign ministry but had reportedly been turned away.

"After so many months, the relatives of the hostages have of their own, managed to trace the whereabouts of the hostages. Now it is the responsibility of the government to secure their safe return," he said.