File photo of Sushma Swaraj
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the Centre was making its best efforts for ensuring safety of Indian nationals in strife-torn Libya and bringing them back.
In a reply dated August 12 to a letter written by Andhra Pradesh Minister Palle Raghunatha Reddy requesting rescue of Indian nationals stranded in Libya, Ms Swaraj said the Ministry of External Affairs was taking all necessary steps.
"There are an estimated 6,000 Indian nationals in various parts of Libya, of which around 4,500 are registered with our Embassy in Tripoli. Our Embassy has been issuing regular advisories to Indians giving an update on the security situation (in Libya) and advising them to avoid the conflict areas," she said in the letter.
Noting that there is some reluctance on the part of a large number of Indians to leave Libya, she said the Indian Embassy was actively persuading them to leave.