New Delhi: Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, while troubleshooting on Twitter the problems of Indians who are living abroad, came across a post by a man who alleged he would “commit suicide” if he was unable to return to India from Saudi Arabia.
“Sir, tell me one thing, can you help me or should I kill myself? It has been about 12 months that I have been pleading for help from the embassy. It would be a huge help if you can send me to India. I have four children,” tweeted a man who identified himself only by his first name, Ali.
The foreign minister replied: “Don’t think about suicide. We are there for you. Our embassy will help you.” Sushma Swaraj then asked for a report from the Indian embassy in Riyadh on the man’s complaint and the circumstances that led him to tweet the SOS.
When the embassy asked the man to send a copy of his visa page and phone number, he said he doesn’t have a copy of the visa but has an “iqama” – a residence permit issued to expatriates who arrive in Saudi Arabia on an employment visa. “Sir mere pass koi id nahi (sir, I don’t have any ID papers),” the man tweeted.
“There’s some problem in my family back home. It’s been 21 months since I came here and haven’t taken leave. Please help me return to India,” Ali tweeted again, tagging the Indian embassy.
Other people on Twitter also suggested the man that he give his phone number to the embassy if he wanted quick help.
Ms Swaraj routinely replies to Indians abroad who seek her ministry’s help, and has several times in the past solved genuine problems related to visas and immigration issues. However, the foreign minister is also known to have pulled up people for asking help in trivial matters and even sending in queries about issues that do not concern her ministry.
In January 2017, a techie from Pune whose wife was employed by the Indian Railways and stationed in Jhansi got an earful from Ms Swaraj after he tweeted a request to get his wife transferred so that they could be together.
“Can u plz help us in ending our banwas (exile) in India? My wife is in Jhansi Rly employee and I work in Pune in IT. Been a year+,” said the post on Ms Swaraj’s timeline.
The foreign minister replied: “If you or your wife were from my Ministry and such a request for transfer was made on twitter, I would have sent a suspension order by now.”
