Swaraj asks over 500 Indians in Libya to ''leave immediately''

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 19

India has asked its 500 remaining citizens in Libya to get out of the country because of fierce gunfights between rival militias, especially around the airport in Tripoli.

Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj advised Indians to leave while the flights were still operational, updating an earlier Ministry of External Affairs advisory asking Indians to exercise extreme caution in Libya.

Swaraj tweeted: “Even after massive evacuation from Libya and the travel ban, there are over 500 Indian nationals in Tripoli. The situation in Tripoli is deteriorating fast. Presently, flights are operational”.

“Pls ask your relatives and friends to leave Tripoli immediately. We will not be able to evacuate them later,” she said on her Twitter handle.

Indian was taking its cue from the first major meltdown in Libya after the overthrow of the Gaddafi government in 2011 when it was compelled to undertake a massive operation to evacuate about 3,000 Indians. It then had to use circuitous routes via Tunisia to take out several nurses who had hung back in their jobs, hoping for the situation to improve.

However, there was no word from the Foreign Office whether it will make efforts to bring back the mortal remains of two Indians from Punjab who were beheaded in Saudi Arabia. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder described the executions as barbaric and has sought a detailed report from the Ministry of External Affairs.

Despite much investment in improving relations with Saudi Arabia, India was not informed about the executions that took place in end-February. 

Swaraj has continued to resolve counselor issues over Twitter frequently, addressing embassy officials by their first names—“Vikram’’, “Vikas’’, “Vipul’’ and “Sandeep’’—and asking them to send a stranded body back or evacuating a destitute Indian. She is yet to speak on the fate the mortal remains of the two—Satwinder Kumar from Hoshiarpur and Harjit Singh of Ludhiana—who were beheaded for murdering a fellow Indian.