“Jo mar chuke hai woh waapis nahi aa sakte (those who have died cannot come back),” asserts Harjit Masih, the lone Indian out of 40, who managed to return from ISIS-held Mosul in 2014.
“If the government says they are alive and will come back home, I am happy. I will be happy if they come back and prove that I’m a liar. I know what I saw... but I’m not going to keep repeating myself if nobody wants to believe me,” Masih tells The Quint in a telephonic conversation.
Upon his return to his native Punjab, Masih claimed that he had witnessed his 39 Indian companions, mostly fellow Punjabis, being shot dead by ISIS. He claimed he survived the abduction only because he pretended to be dead and lay underneath dead bodies for hours. The government, however, rubbished his claims. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said in May 2015:
I’ve met family members of Indian nationals who are stranded in Iraq, had discussions with them… Harjit Masih is claiming that all of them are dead, but I do not believe him… we will continue with the search.
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On Sunday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul to congratulate Iraq’s armed forces on fully reclaiming the city from ISIS. Just as this declaration was made, family members of the remaining 39 began making frantic calls to the MEA to find out more.
We have called the MEA but they have not provided any information. We haven’t been told anything. We’ve been waiting for a long time. The only thing left to do is to go to Delhi to meet Sushma Swaraj herself.Ranjit Kaur, mother of Jatinder Singh, one of the 39 abducted
Swaraj had met the waiting families earlier this year in June, and had informed them that a source of the Indian government in Iraq had ascertained the “exact location” of the men in Mosul. Leaning on this hope, the families’ calls to the MEA have become even more desperate.
Gurpinder Kaur, sister of Manjinder Singh, told The Quint that she had called the MEA on Monday morning, but has heard no news of her brother.
All we want is some information to go on. We were told the government source knows their exact location. Then why should there be any delay in bringing them back?Gurpinder Kaur
All Kaur knows is that General VK Singh has been dispatched to Iraq to coordinate with the government there.
When asked of Masih’s claims, Kaur is quick to respond:
I’ve met him many times, and I don’t trust a word he says. He came back unscathed because the agent who sent all of them to Iraq for work was his family friend. His story keeps changing. He says they were all killed on 15 June, but families here spoke to their sons and brothers on 17 June. Besides, a lot could have happened since 2014. What does he know?
The Ministry of External Affairs has said in a statement that the Iraqi authorities have assured India of all cooperation in locating the 39 hostages.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh to travel to Erbil in Iraq later today. Liberation of Mosul from ISIS an important milestone on global war on terror and India welcomes it.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh called Swaraj personally and asked for the government to facilitate the men’s return.
Swaraj reportedly told the Captain that officials of national carrier Air India have also been asked to facilitate the return, and that her ministry is doing everything in its power to trace the Indians, who were last said to be at a church in Mosul.
The families, in the meantime, wait with bated breath, ready to march to Delhi if they don’t hear anything soon.
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