Centre making serious efforts to rescue Indians in Iraq: Naqvi

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday said the Centre is seriously working towards rescuing Indians stranded in Iraq.

"Our government is very serious about our nationals, those who are stranded in Iraq, and it is working sensitively and seriously," Naqvi said.

Yesterday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj assured those families whose members have been abducted in Iraq that all efforts are being done to rescue them during her meeting with them today.

At the end of the meeting, the families were reassured that the government is doing everything under its capacity.

She also held a meeting with Indian envoys posted in Gulf countries and discussed the situation in Iraq. Ambassadors of Gulf countries posted in Delhi also met her and gave their views on Iraq and the region at large.

According to the external affairs ministry, there are 100 Indians stranded in the conflict zone, along with 46 Indian nurses in Tikrit.

Overall, there are nearly 10,000 Indians in Iraq as per official figures. However, with many Indians being there without legal documents, the actual number runs much higher.

Iraq is witnessing serious strife with Sunni militants, backed by the Al Qaeda, marching towards the capital Baghdad. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been displaced in the fighting that broke out on June 10.