Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today that no Indian will be left behind in war-torn middle east. Speaking at an event in Kerala, he said while it is natural to be worried about those Indians working in the Gulf and West Asia the BJP-NDA government of the country has ensured that Indians are brought home safely from troubled areas.
"Whenever any of our fellow citizens has been in trouble, we have used all our might to save them and bring them back safely," PM Modi said.
"Whether it's about saving the nurses stuck in Iraq, or freeing Father Tom from the clutches of terrorists in Yemen, today's India doesn't desert its citizens during times of trouble," he added.
The government, he said, has even brought Father Alexis Premkumar back safely from Afghanistan.
"Today as well, it is our endeavour that Indians caught in war-like situations are safe and get all possible help," he added.
Thousands of Indians have been got stranded in the Gulf nations since the US-Iran war broke out.
There are approximately 1 crore (10 million) Indians living across the six GCC countries (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait). The UAE alone hosts over 35 lakh Indians.
On Monday, foreign minister S Jaishankar told Rajya Sabha that 67,000 Indians have returned to India as of March 8, and the government is continuing to assist citizens amid the ongoing crisis in the region.
He said the Indian Embassy in Tehran has taken steps to assist Indian students and other nationals in Iran. Those in Iran for business purposes were helped with leaving the country via neighbouring Armenia.
"PM Modi has spoken to the heads of state of the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan, Israel, and Bahrain. We are urging all to ease tensions," he said.
India, he added, has received positive assurances from the leadership of these countries regarding the safety and welfare of the Indian community living there.
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