Iraq crisis: Punjab to pay expenses for bringing back stranded men

With over 200 people from Punjab stranded in strife-torn Iraq, the state government has decided to bear the expenses for bringing them back safely.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has also decided that the state government would reimburse the distressed families for the phone calls made to that country, an official spokesperson said today. The state government would bear the entire expenditure of bringing the trapped persons back to their homes safely. 

Badal had also conveyed this matter to the External Affairs Ministry for ensuring the safe and prompt return of Punjabi, the spokesman said. 

Knowing well that frequent international calls being made by the panic stricken family members of the stranded persons was a costly affair, the Chief Minister has decided that the state government would repay the entire expenditure incurred by them on making these calls, he said. "Badal is in constant touch with the Union External Affairs Ministry over this issue has also impressed upon the Government of India to ensure that every Indian in general and Punjabi in particular must be safely evacuated from Iraq, regardless of possessing valid travel documents/ immigration papers," he said.

Expressing satisfaction over the initiatives taken by the Union Government to ensure the return of Punjabis from Iraq, the Chief Minister hoped that these efforts would help in saving precious lives. The Punjab Government had yesterday submitted a detailed report on more than 200 Punjabis stranded in Iraq to the External Affairs Ministry. 

Families give details about 127 stranded from Haryana
The control room set up by Haryana Government has so far got information about 127 persons from the state who are stranded in strife-torn Iraq. Majority of those stranded there hail from the northern parts of the state including Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Ambala and Kaithal districts. Among the stranded persons, 31 are from Yamunanagar district, 36 from Kurukshetra, 23 from Karnal, 29 from Ambala, four from Kaithal and one each from Sirsa, Rohtak, Bhiwani and Mahendergarh districts, an official release said here today. Read more