Government stops issuance of immigration clearance for Iraq

NEW DELHI: Government today announced that it has stopped granting of immigration clearance for travel to Iraq for next one month as it grapples to secure release of 39 kidnapped Indians in the strife-torn Gulf nation.

"The Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry has stopped granting immigration clearance for Iraq for one month from last night," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.

According to the Emigration Act, 1983, Emigration Check Required (ECR) categories of Indian passport holders need to obtain 'Emigration Clearance' from the office of Protector of Emigrants (POE) for going to 18 countries.

The countries where ECR is mandatory include Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia, Libya, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Brunei, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Syria.

The announcement to stop issuance of immigration clearance for travel to Iraq came days after government issued a travel advisory asking citizens not to visit Iraq due to the prevailing situation.

However, it was found that despite the advisory, some people have gone to the country for employment.

The government is making all out efforts to secure release of kidnapped Indians as well as all those trapped in some other violence-hit areas.

40 Indian construction workers were kidnapped from Mosul, Iraq's second largest city which was seized by Sunni militants. One of the kidnapped Indians had managed to escape from the captors.

Iraq is witnessing serious strife with Sunni militants, backed by Al-Qaida, capturing two key cities and marching towards Baghdad. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been displaced in the fighting that broke out on June 10.