M K Stalin urges Sushma Swaraj to ensure interests of Indians in Qatar

CHENNAI: DMK leader M K Stalin today wrote to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj urging her to ensure the interests of Indians living in Qatar, with which a Saudi-led coalition has severed ties.

In his letter to Swaraj, Stalin, also opposition leader in the Tamil Nadu assembly, said families in India of those living in Qatar were very much worried about the safety of their relatives in the Gulf country.

"And it is quite imperative on my part to seek your timely personal diplomatic assistance, as it is broadly viewed that the current tension may have the potential to affect the interests of Indians in Qatar," he said.

"I am confident that under your leadership, the Ministry of External Affairs might have already explored and initiated the diplomatic steps necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of the Indians living in Qatar," he added.

He requested Swaraj to direct the Indian embassy in Doha to take "utmost care" of the interests of the Indians living in Qatar during "the period of complex diplomatic challenge."

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates announced yesterday that they were severing diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing the Gulf state of supporting terrorism.