HYDERABAD: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday raised a query in Lok Sabha whether the Indian embassy in Moscow will facilitate the return of Indian nationals stuck at the battlefront on Russia-Ukraine border, to Moscow.
“The minister (S Jaishankar) has admitted that there are 69 Indians who are stuck in Russia. Will the Indian embassy in Russia ensure their safe return to Moscow? Eight have died, and two of them were boys from Punjab and Haryana. The DNA test has been done and their bodies have not returned. No one knows the whereabouts of Kashmiri boy Zahoor,” the Hyderabad MP said.
The External Affairs Minister, in response, said that the Indian government took a serious view of it and remarked that their mortal remains would be brought back based on the wishes of their families.
“There are eight Indian nationals who died while in service with Russian armed forces. The mortal remains of four have been sent to India with payment made by the Indian community welfare fund. In one case from Haryana, the Russian foreign ministry informed us about his death and sought a DNA test report to identify him. This has been sent to Russia and we are following it up. In one case from Gujarat, the family wants cremation of the remains in Russia. The same has been sent to the Russian side after obtaining necessary authorisation from the family. In the case of Punjab, a DNA sample is being provided. Finally, in the eighth case from UP, the family has expressed its wish to bring back the remains,” the external affairs minister said.
As many as eight Indians have been killed while fighting for the Russian army in the Ukraine conflict. One of them, Mohammed Asfan (30), belonged to Bazarghat in Hyderabad. Another man from Narayanpet, Mohammed Sufiyan, (23) is said to be still on the war front. “We are able to communicate with him after every couple of days whenever there is a network. But there is no update from the Indian Embassy about his return,” Sufiyan’s brother Saiyed Salman told TNIE.
Meanwhile, Owaisi also asked whether the government will revoke the passports as well as issue a look out circular (LOC) against the “agents” who talked the Indians into travelling to Eastern Europe in the name of well-paying jobs.
“Does he [EAM] know that one Baba Vlogs (Faisal Khan) in Dubai) and Moin, Ramesh and Kushpreet are the main criminals sitting in Russia who are misguiding our youth. Will the government cancel their passports and issue an LOC?”
Over this, the EAM asserted that the government would have to go according to the CBI inquiry. “We have 19 people [on the radar], including some of the names honourable member (Owaisi) had referred to. In each case inquiries are going on and in many of them prosecution is underway as well,” Jaishankar clarified.
Questioning the seriousness of the Russian government on the matter, the AIMIM leader also asked whether the government would stop Indian refiners from buying oil at a discount rate from Russia.
The EAM replied, saying: “We should not jump the gun and say the Russians are not serious on the matter as the PM has taken up the matter with the Russian president, who gave an assurance.” “We are here to get back those 69 people,” Jaishankar added.