New Delhi, July 26 : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said that Iraq Foreign Minister has never said that the 39 Indians missing were dead.
Speaking amid uproar over the issue in the Lok Sabha, Swaraj said the government will not close the file on the 39 Indians missing in Iraq till they get evidence of their death. She said: “It is a sin to declare a person dead without concrete evidence.”
She said that the Opposition was free to declare the missing Indians dead, but it would be their responsibility, if anyone turns out alive tomorrow.
She said: “It’s very easy for me to say that the 39 Indians are dead. No one, including their families, will ask me anything after that, adding that the government was not misleading anyone over the issue.”
She said that the Iraq authority has said the Indians were last heard of being lodged in Badush jail until early 2016 and have lost contact with them after that.
She said Iraq never said that the Indians were in the jail when it was razed, adding that, the question now was where did they go after 2016.
She said that Iraq has assured the Indian government that they will come back with hard evidence on the issue.
“I’ve told them I will not accept any information from secondary sources and will only accept new information with evidence,” said Sushma.