Labor minister promises to protect Nepalis working in Iraq

KATHMANDU, Jan 9: Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security Rameshwor Raya Yadav has pledged to protect the Nepalis working in Iran and Iraq amid the intensifying tension following the assassination of Irani top general Qassem Soleimani a week ago.

Iran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases housing US troops early Wednesday as its first act after it promised revenge against the US move.

According to reports, there are more than 15,000 Nepalis working illegally in Iraq, mostly in Bagdad and Kurdistan.

The majority of them have been working as security guards and support staffers in the US Embassy while some work at US military bases and with the companies that supply logistics there.

However, Minister Yadav said the government does not have the official record of the Nepalis working in Iraq since the government does not allow a work permit to work there and those Nepalis ended there through various illegal channels.

It has been reported that the number of Nepalis in Iran is very few.

“But it the government’s duty to protect them and return them home safely,” he said.

“We have already put the issue to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). We will leave no stone unturned to rescue the Nepalis staying there,” he added.

“We will rescue them as soon as possible”.

The MoFA has already directed the embassies in the Middle-East countries to remain in contact with the Nepalis working there and regularly update the developments.