Airlift great entertainer, short on facts: MEA

The ministry of external affairs (MEA) is unhappy with the Akshay Kumar-starrer Airlift that allegedly makes certain unflattering references to the role of Indian diplomats on the matter of evacuation of Indians from Kuwait in 1990 following the Iraqi conquest of Kuwait that year and ahead of the first Gulf war by US-led forces that ended the Iraqi occupation in 1991. The government sources said the film may be “great entertainment but was rather short on facts”. Sources further said “the film has certain glaring factual errors”.

“This is a film and films often take liberties with actual events, facts. This particular film has also taken artistic liberties in the depiction of the events as it actually happened in Kuwait in 1990,” MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup was quoted by news agencies, as saying.

The government sources said some of the portrayal of the role of diplomats is inaccurate and pointed out that former prime minister I.K. Gujral, who was then external affairs minister of India during the V.P. Singh government’s tenure in 1989-90 had met the then Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in Iraq following which the evacuation of Indians from Kuwait through Jordan was permitted.

The then Indian foreign minister, I.K. Gujral, during his visit to Iraq in 1990, had warmly embraced Saddam Hussein which caused an international ripple.

However, many experts had felt that it was a tactically shrewd move by the Indian government to facilitate the smooth evacuation of Indians stuck in Kuwait after the Iraqi conquest of Kuwait.

Under the leadership of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraqi forces had over-run Kuwait in a blitzkrieg in August, 1990, but were eventually driven out by US-led forces in early-1991.

Meanwhile, the MEA spokesperson said those who remember the 1990 evacuation would also know the “very proactive” role that the MEA played. He mentioned that an official delegation was sent to Baghdad and Kuwait and that tremendous coordination was put in place with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Air India and a host of other government departments.

“I myself can vouch for this as I myself was on the front-lines of evacuating Indians from Kuwait who were coming into Turkey via Syria,” Swarup said. In the film, some Indian diplomats have reportedly been shown as lacking a proactive approach.

He said that those who may not remember the 1990 evacuation, would certainly remember the more recent evacuations that the MEA had coordinated from Iraq, Libya, Yemen and Ukraine.

“We do hope that the film will inspire people to read more about the actual events that took place and the very proactive role that MEA has always played in safeguarding the interest, concerns and security of Indian citizens who live and work abroad,” Mr. Swarup was further quoted as saying. Swarup pointed out that the fact that such a theme has been selected for a film shows how important this is.

“We in the MEA consider the protection of Indian citizens abroad as among our foremost responsibilities. We have proved this in the past and shall continue to do so in the future as well,” he said.

When asked whether the MEA would record its protest to the film-maker in writing, sources said the MEA may not do so but would certainly make public its stand highlighting the enormous role of the then Indian government and MEA in evacuating stranded Indians from Kuwait through national carrier Air India.