New Delhi: With around 3,600 Indians having returned from Kuwait this year, India yesterday said it had asked the Gulf country’s government to “provide time and space” to expatriates overstaying or on irregular visas to return on their own or to regularise their stay as per its law.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said here at a briefing that 3,600 Indians had returned home since the beginning of the year. They include 1,000 who had been issued Emergency Certificates and 2,600 who had their passports.
Following some instances of Indians complaining of harassment by Kuwaiti authorities, the Indian embassy has set up round-the-clock help desks and provided an email address to which Indians could send mails about their problems, he said.
While the embassy has received 600 telephone calls and 100 emails so far, Akbaruddin clarified that none of them related to complaints of harassment.
The messages were about the Indians’ fears and apprehensions.
He said that “any case of harassment will be taken up (with the Kuwaiti authorities) and taken to its logical conclusion”.
He also said that the Indian embassy and Indian envoy Satish C Mehta were in touch with local Indian organisations as well as with “large employers” employing more than 5,000 people to find out if any Indians had any problems.
Akbaruddin said India had also taken up the issue with the Kuwaiti authorities in New Delhi and Kuwait, “and our view is should they want to crack down.. they should provide space and time to expatriates to leave of their own. Provide time or regularise their stay in accordance with Kuwaiti law”.
There are 700,000 Indians in Kuwait, an increase of 25,000 over last year, he informed.
IANS
