Cong to move privilege motion against Swaraj for 'misleading' RS on death of Indians in Iraq

Agencies
March 22, 2018

Barcelona (Spain), Mar 22: The Congress today decided to move a privilege motion against External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in the Rajya Sabha for "misleading" the House on the issue of the death of 39 Indians who were kidnapped in Iraq's Mosul town in 2014.

Congress MPs Ambika Soni, Pratap Bajwa and Shamsher Singh Dullo said they would move a motion against Swaraj in the Upper House after compiling documents and information on the issue.

They accused Swaraj of misleading the House for four years and dared her to make public the sources who formed the basis of her claims that the 39 Indians kidnapped by ISIS were alive.

"I accuse Sushma Swaraj of misleading the House. The minister's statement in the House is an assurance. She gave an assurance that these people were alive. Our sources have proved right and her confidential sources have proved wrong," Soni told reporters.

She said they were definitely going to bring a privilege motion against the external affairs minister of India for misguiding Parliament and her insensitivity in "playing" with the lives of 39 Indian citizens.

"Whose fault is it, who tried to mislead and keep the issue in a deep freeze for four years. It is of the external affairs minister. It is her responsibility," Soni alleged.

Accusing the Central government of trying to suppress the Mosul tragedy, she said it did not talk about it despite several efforts to raise the issue.

"We have continuously tried to raise the issue, but Swaraj always said she cannot share the sources nor any document and always claimed that they are alive. The government's efforts to put a cover on the issue led to misconceptions among the families of the deceased," Soni said, adding, "We have come to know from Iraq that they died at least a year ago, but our government has been so insensitive."

Asserting that the government should have gradually prepared the families for their loss, the Congress general secretary brought up the issue of compensation and said, "This government is only of the few and the rest will suffer the same way as had happened to 39 Indians in Iraq," she said.

Her colleague Bajwa also accused the government of its "clumsy" handling of the issue and said those killed in Iraq were poor people involved in manual labour.

"Today, Harjit Masih's statement has proved right. I want to ask Sushma Swaraj that what are your sources. The entire country wants to know. Why did you play with the sentiments of these people," he said, referring to the lone survivor who had managed to flee the ISIS following his abduction along with the 39 other Indians and had claimed that the others were killed.

The Rajya Sabha MP said if there is a sensitive policy matter then informed first if it is in session, but when someone dies or is martyred, the family of the deceased are informed first.

"What stopped her from doing this? Even her attitude of dealing with the situation two days ago was to score brownie points. There has been an insensitive and clumsy handling of the issue," Bajwa said.

"We want to ask Modi ji and Sushma ji that you have not even announced any compensation to their families. We have demanded Rs 1 crore compensation and a government job to each of the families. The onus of giving job and Rs one crore is on the Centre," he said.

Whenever the government is in the dock, they try to sidetrack the issue. Parliament is not running as allies of the ruling BJP are in the well, Bajwa claimed.

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News Network
November 18,2024

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Mangaluru: The Ullal police have arrested Manohar, the owner of Vazco Beach Resort, and its manager Bharath in connection with the drowning of three college girls from Mysuru at the resort’s swimming pool on November 17.

City Commissioner of Police Anupam Agrawal confirmed the arrests, stating that a case has been registered under Section 106 of BNS. The bodies of the victims, all in their twenties, have been handed over to their parents. The women had arrived at the resort for a weekend getaway on November 16.

Following the tragic incident, the resort was sealed by officials led by Mangaluru Assistant Commissioner Harshavardhan. The trade license of the resort, issued on June 13, 2024, has been suspended, and the tourism department has temporarily revoked the resort's registration. These actions prohibit the resort from engaging in any tourism-related activities until further notice.

Someshwara TMC Chief Officer stated that the suspension was due to the resort's failure to implement adequate safety measures, which resulted in the loss of three lives. Further investigations are underway.

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News Network
November 12,2024

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The Palestinian Hamas resistance movement says its fighters have killed at least 20 Israeli soldiers in northern parts of the besieged Gaza Strip in just two days, in retaliation for the occupying regime’s genocidal war on the Palestinian territory.

In a statement on Monday evening, Hamas said that fighters of its military wing, al-Qassam Brigades, “killed at least five occupation soldiers” in northern parts of the coastal territory earlier in the day.

It added that Hamas fighters also killed 15 Israeli soldiers in the war-ravaged region on Sunday.

The resistance movement’s “qualitative operation … confirms once again the failure of the criminal Zionist entity to suppress and eradicate the Palestinian resistance, which continues to direct qualitative strikes against its terrorist soldiers,” Hamas further said on its Telegram channel.

Palestinians have increased their resistance operations in the face of intensified Israeli aggression in northern Gaza that has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 over the past weeks.

“Our valiant resistance is waging a war of attrition with the criminal enemy, inflicting daily losses on its soldiers and vehicles, and all of [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s bets and dreams of achieving any of his goals are failing,” the Gaza-based resistance movement added.

Hamas also vowed that Israel’s ongoing crimes and aggression against Gaza would be met with increased resistance and painful strikes, which will continue until the aggression against Palestinians ends and the regime fully withdraws from the blockaded territory.

As the war in Gaza enters its 14th month, the Health Ministry reports that Israeli attacks have killed at least 43,603 Palestinians and wounded 102,929 others.

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News Network
November 12,2024

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The Taliban regime has appointed Ikramuddin Kamil as the acting consul in the Afghan mission in Mumbai, Afghan media has reported.

It is the first such appointment made by the Taliban set up to any Afghan mission in India.

There was no immediate comment from the Indian side on the appointment that came.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan has announced the appointment of Kamil as the acting consul in Mumbai, the Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources.

"He is currently in Mumbai, where he is fulfilling his duties as a diplomat representing the Islamic Emirate," it said.

The appointment is part of Kabul's efforts to strengthen diplomatic ties with India and enhance its presence abroad, the media outlet said

Kamil holds a PhD degree in international law and previously served as the deputy director in the department of security cooperation and border affairs in the foreign ministry, it said.

He is expected to facilitate consular services and represent the interests of Afghanistan in India, the report added.

Kamil's appointment comes days after the external affairs ministry's point-person for Afghanistan held talks with the Taliban's acting defence minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, in Kabul.

Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban's deputy foreign minister for political affairs, also posted on X about Kamil's appointment.

The appointment of Kamil is seen as part of efforts to facilitate consular services to the Afghan population in Mumbai.

There has been almost negligible presence of diplomatic staff at the Afghan missions in India.

Most of the diplomats appointed by the Ashraf Ghani government have already left India.

In May, Zakia Wardak, the seniormost Afghan diplomat in India, resigned from her position after reports emerged that she was caught at the Mumbai airport for allegedly trying to smuggle 25 kg of gold worth Rs 18.6 crore from Dubai.

Wardak had taken charge as the acting ambassador of Afghanistan to New Delhi late last year, after working as the Afghan consul general in Mumbai for more than two years.

She took charge of the Afghan embassy in New Delhi last November, after the mission helmed by then ambassador Farid Mamundzay announced its closure.

Mamundzay, who was an appointee of the Ghani government, had moved to the United Kingdom.

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