New Delhi: The Government is coming out with a policy on accepting foreign refugees from “persecuted minorities” (in India’s neighbourhood and beyond) and this will comprise not just Hindus but also other minorities like Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday.
She made the comment in response to questions on the killings of Hindus and threats received by them in Bangladesh. She, however, lauded the Bangladesh Government for their efforts to tackle the crimes.
“The attacks are unfortunate,” she said, adding that “the Bangladesh Government is leaving no stone unturned” to tackle these crimes, with about “3,000 people having been apprehended.”
When asked whether India would open its doors only for persecuted Hindus, she said the Government was making a refugee policy that would include all those refugees who belong to “persecuted minorities” in their country and not just Hindus.
Swaraj silent on Cabinet reshuffle
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday refused to be drawn into speculation regarding the forthcoming Cabinet reshuffle and whether she would like to move on to another ministry or else stay on in the MEA, saying it was the Prime Minister’s prerogative and that she would not like to comment on it.
She also released a book on the government’s foreign policy achievements. Meanwhile, the 39 Indians, kidnapped by the dreaded ISIS in Iraq in June 2014, are still alive, she said, dismissing reports about their killing and insisting that efforts to trace them are on.
