Taliban threaten to kill abducted Indian in Afghanistan

 

NEW DELHI: Taliban militia, holding an Indian engineer hostage in southern Afghanistan, on Saturday evening threatened to kill him if all Indians do not leave the country within 24 hours, prompting the government to intensify efforts to secure his early and safe release.
     
Hyderabad-based family of 41-year-old K Suryanarayan, who was abducted on Friday evening on the Kandahar-Kabul highway in Hassan Kareiz district of Zabul, appealed the abductors to free him without any harm. His Afghan driver was also abducted.

 

A high-level meeting, chaired by Cabinet Secretary B K Chaturvedi, was held here to review the evolving developments.

 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is also being kept briefed about the situation.

 

A father of three, Suryanarayan had gone to Afghanistan four months ago and was working with a Bahrain-based company Al Moayyad, which is engaged in a project for Afghan mobile phone service provider Roshan Telecom.

 

Issuing the threat, a man claiming to be the spokesman for the Taliban called up the news agency Associated Press and claimed that Suryanarayan was an "American spy".

 

"We warn all Indians working here to leave Afghanistan within 24 hours starting 6 pm (7 pm India time) today, otherwise we will kill him," the caller identifying himself as Qari Yousef

 

Ahmadi was quoted saying. Ahmadi releases regular statements on behalf of Taliban.

 

Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said the government was in touch with the Afghan authorities and had intensified efforts to seek early and safe release of the hostage.

Saran asserted that India will "continue to fulfill its solemn commitments to Afghanistan's development", pointing out that "our presence in that country is to promote the welfare of the people" of that country.

 

He said Indians, working on various projects in Afghanistan, are making a contribution to the much-needed economic recovery and reconstruction of the friendly country and vast majority of people of that country had welcomed this.

 

India has also contacted the US-led International Security Force deployed in Zabul province where the abduction took place, the foreign secretary said.

 

"We are constantly monitoring the situation," he said, adding Indian Ambassador Rakesh Sood was in constant touch with the Afghan national security adviser and other senior officials besides the employers of Suryanarayan and the telecom company whose project is being executed.

 

"We would like to assure Suryanarayan's family that no stone is being left unturned to obtain his release. We share their pain and grief and their anxiety and will continue with
our efforts using all the resources at hand," he said.

 

Shocked family members of Suryanarayan, who has two daughters and a son, appealed to the abductors to release him without harm. Suryanarayan's father Chandrashekar urged the government to take immediate steps for his safe release.

 

An official of Afghan mobile phone company Roshan, which had contracted Al Moayyad to help expand its network across the volatile southern provinces, was quoted as saying by AP that his firm had no word on the Indian's fate.

"We are hoping for his safe return and we are working with the government and other relevant agencies to try and solve this as quickly as possible," the agency reported from Kabul, quoting Altaf Ladak, Chief Marketing Officer for the Afghan-registered and foreign-owned Roshan.
     
As news of the kidnapping spread, family members and friends descended onto Suryanarayan's house to express sympathy.

 

"We are shocked to the core and don't know what will happen next," said Suryanarayan's wife Manjula.

 

India condemned the abduction, saying it was an attempt by the Taliban and "other hostile elements" to intimidate Indian and other international and Afghan workers engaged in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and improving the lives of its people.

 

In an effort to ensure that such an incident is not repeated, the Indian Embassy in Kabul has been instructed to reiterate security instructions to all Indians working in Afghanistan and to request the companies employing them to reinforce security.

 

Suryanarayan's abduction is the third incident in which an Indian national has been targeted in Afghanistan in four months.

 

Border Roads Organisation jawan M R Kutty was abducted in January by Taliban and his body was found three days later. About a month later, Indian engineer Bharath Kumar, working with a Turkish company, was killed when the Taliban triggered a bomb explosion.

 

Several Indian doctors deputed there also were threatened.

 

In the wake of the developments, India had sent over 200 commandos to ensure proximate security of the Indians working on projects there.