Bring Back All the Indian Workers from Iraq
Stop Helping US Consolidate Occupation of Iraq
Gurmeet S
‘The government is anxious and looking into the matter’ is the routine reply whenever ordinary people are caught up in some dangerous situation. The three Indian drivers along with four others from Kenya and Egypt taken hostage by an Iraqi armed group wait for death and a second life at the same time.

The people are enraged at the callous behaviour of the government which has no respect for the lives of those taken hostage. It is the second incident where Indian nationals are suffering due to the occupation of Iraq by the US forces.

For the third consecutive day the people of two villages known by the names of Dehlan and Mehatpur in Una district, Himachal Pradesh, jammed traffic to put pressure on the government to act immediately and effectively to secure the release of the three Indian hostages. On the other hand, the people of Makrona Kalan near Morinda, Ropar district Punjab also jammed traffic at two places in Hoshiarpur and Morinda towns. The people were protesting that the district authorities have done nothing even to console the family of the victim, Sukhdev Singh. The people surrounded Una district headquarters to force district authorities to come to the rescue of hostages. The people and families of the Indian workers are very much worried as already two Pakistani workers have been killed there.

The Indian state in its blind subservience to the US interests in the gulf has allowed Indian nationals to be used as guinea pigs. It is the lust for foreign exchange and a few crumbs from the leftovers of the billions of dollars of contract money which the US companies are extracting from Iraq in the name of reconstruction after the country was devastated in the name of threat to America from the non-existent Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, the lie which has exposed the monstrous nature of the US and British imperialists.

A few months ago it was the case of private mercenaries which the Indian government allowed to defend the US imperialism’s dirty war interests. Forced by wide spread exposure and protest voices the government of India had promised the country that private recruiters would be stopped from sending troops to Iraq.

Now it is the ordinary workers who are under attack. They were sent to Iraq from adjoining gulf countries by gulf labour agencies who help US consolidate its occupation of Iraq by doing construction and transportation work. These labour agencies even use force to send workers inside Iraq. There are reports that about five thousand Indian workers are kept as virtual prisoners in the US military bases in Iraq. About the same number is hired / forced by private companies like Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Company (KGL). A few days back two young Punjabi brothers, Harnek Singh and Lakhwinder Singh, escaped from Iraq via Kuwait told the press that they were forcibly taken to Iraq by the company they were working for. They talked of inhuman working conditions of the Indian workers working in the US military bases. In an interview given before the journalists both accused the US army of forcibly taking away Indians and forcing them to work day and night. They were forcibly sent to Iraq to work for the US army. They, along with numerous others, were kept like slaves. According to them the Indians working in the gulf countries are picked up and forced to go to Iraq. The workers have become the victims of such agencies which serve the US interests in the Middle East.

The approach of the Indian rulers, both past and present ruling alliances, towards the whole question of Iraq has been condemnable from the outset. From its subservient character has emerged its role vis-à-vis the mercenary forces, the workers and the sending of army to Iraq. It did not stop the private recruiting agencies until the incidents of casualties from the battlefield came. It did not ban the companies from sending labour force to Iraq as it wants to serve the US and its own interests at the cost of the lives of the people. And lastly, on the question of sending the Indian army it has not refused on the grounds that US act of aggression in Iraq was against the Iraqi people and international law and was meant to control the Middle East oil and energy sources for the purpose of exclusive US hegemony in the world. It only said that if the UN asks and the situation permits it would happily send its forces. Even the UN has not right to impart legality to US aggression on Iraq, much less the so-called civilian administration in Baghdad, which is only a defaced puppet of the US military establishment in Iraq sanctifies sending of troops or workers in Iraq.

The whole world knows that the Iraqi people are fighting for their liberation from the US army control. The people of the whole world, including the Indian people have hailed the Iraqi resistance movement and they support it. If any damage is done to the hostages the blame squarely will lie on the Indian State which first and foremost jeopardised the life of the Indian workers by allowing their forced or otherwise transportation to Iraq. We demand that all the Indian workers working in Iraq should be brought back immediately and the US should be condemned for its occupation of Iraq. The attitude of the Indian government is highly condemnable as one of serving the US imperialist interests. Indian Government is behaving like the military government of General Musharraf who bowed his head to the US dictates shamelessly and is even looking for an opportunity to send troops to assist US masters in Iraq. He only wants the pretext that other Islamic countries should take lead in this matter. The blame of the death of two Pakistani workers lies with Pakistani government only.

The Indian people have resolutely condemned the US aggression and occupation of Iraq and demanded from the Indian government not to ally with the US in any way. But the Indian regime is only waiting for the right opportunity to send its forces openly though allowing underhand trafficking of mercenaries. The intellectuals and economists serving the ruling class interests have long been propagating participation in the so-called construction work in Iraq for the smallest of crumbs. They have been preparing ground for the government to act openly. Every such scheme of the Indian ruling classes should be opposed resolutely. We must stand more resolutely for the end of US and British occupation of Iraq; and while supporting the liberation struggle of the Iraqi people pressure must be built on the government to secure the release of Indian workers by committing that India would withdraw all its private mercenary forces and workers from Iraq.

Even the workers who want to go to Iraq for making some quick money should understand that the Iraq people are fighting against one of the deadliest power of the world. There fight is for the liberation of their country. Dozens of Iraqis are sacrificing their lives daily for their beloved country. It is a life and death question for them. This fight for a just cause must be supported with ever increasing determination and vigour. We should resolutely stand in solidarity with the Iraqi people, support them and hail them. Any allurement to earn a few rupees should be ditched aside and it should not be allowed to come in the way of supporting a just cause. The Indian government stands condemned in its callous and criminal attitude towards our ordinary overseas worker brethren while it bows before the rich NRIs.

We stand by the struggling people and families of the hostage workers who are demanding the safe return of their dear ones.

Bring back all Indian workers from Iraq.

Condemn the US for its occupation of Iraq.
Hail the struggle of the Iraqi people for liberation.

Condemn the US subservient Indian government for its anti working class attitude.
August 3, 2004