Missing Indians in Mosul: Amit Shah defends Sushma, says search ops underway

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Saturday defended External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj and said that the search operation of 39 missing Indians in Iraq's Mosul is underway and the Centre is not misleading the nation.

"The search is underway to locate 39 missing Indians in Iraq's Mosul. The Government is not misleading the nation," he said, while addressing the media on the second day of his three-day Rajasthan tour.

The BJP has organised Akhil Bharatiya Pravas Yojana - Shah's 110-day visit to all states in the nation - with an aim to take "party's ideology to booth," he said.

Shah also asserted that India has become the fastest growing economy in the world, due to the saffron party's decisive and the transparent ideology.

"India has become the fastest growing economy in the world due to the party's most decisive and transparent ideology," he added.

Amit Shah added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje's Government are working together as a growth engine to take this nation forward.

Iraq's Ambassador to India Fakhri-H-Al-Issa on July 20 had said that he has no information regarding the 39 Indians, who were abducted by the Isalmic State (IS) even as EAM Swaraj said that they were last located in a prison in Badush.

"I don't want to say anything. I have no information. Sometimes no news is good news. They might be in Badush prison," Issa told ANI.

Sushma, along with Minister of State (MoS) for Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) M.J. Akbar and MoS MEA Gen. (Retd.) V.K. Singh, met families of 39 Indians who are missing in Iraq since 2014 on July 16.

Sushma had assured, "Once fighting stops in Badush and the area is cleared, we can probably find out about the whereabouts of the missing nationals."

-ANI