Will strive to rescue Keralite priest from ISIS custody: Sushma

 

 

Reiterating that the life of every Indian is ‘most precious’ for the government, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj promised that no effort will be spared to secure th release of Tom Uzhunnalil, the Christian priest who was abducted by suspected Islamic State terrorists from Yemen in March this year.

 

We have spared no effort and we will spare no effort to secure Fr Tom's release from captivity. /3

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) December 27, 2016

A video of Uzhunnalil, blaming the central government and Vatican for not putting in sincere efforts to get him release, had surfaced on Monday.

 

Responding to the reports, the minister tweeted:  

We have spared no effort and we will spare no effort to secure Fr Tom's release from captivity. /3

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) December 27, 2016

 

 

She recalled the successful efforts to free Fr Alex Prem Kumar and Judith D'Souza from captivity in Afghanistan.

We got Fr Alex Prem Kumar and Judith D'Souza released from Afghanistan. /2

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) December 27, 2016

 

A video of Father Tom Uzhunnalil, a Keralite priest who was abducted by suspected ISIS terrorists in Yemen appeared on social media platforms on Monday. In the video, Uzhunnalil slammed the central government and Vatican for not putting in efforts to save him from detention. He is also pleaded help and said that his health deteriorating and need medical care.  

Video of Fr. Uzhunnalil

 

'My captors have made many attempts to contact with govt of India, the Prime Minister and President of India. I am very sad that nothing has been done seriously to get me released," he said. He also alleged that Pope Francis or the Bishop of Abu Dhabi did nothing to save him.

 

The priest, who hails from Kerala, had gone missing after the Islamic State militant group attacked the care home run by Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in Yemen's port city of Aden. One Indian nurse and 15 others were killed in the attack on the care home in Aden city on 4 March. 

 

Meanwhile, the Foreign Affairs Ministry officials told Asianet News that the government was finding it difficult to negotiate with the abductors because of the volatile situation existing in Yemen.In the absence of a proper official channel and in the political vacuum in Yemen, the government was trying to negotiate with the abductors through various informal channels, which is making it very complicated.