The new Great Game is preying upon Indian professionals

KABUL: The abduction and execution of Indian engineer Suryanarayana has thrust to the foreground the complex interplay of global forces that define Afghanistan’s politics.

Historically the location for power tussles between imperial giants, the country is at present housing an explosive mix of American forces, foreign funds and a resurgent Taliban.

It is also the setting where the regional ambitions of Pakistan and India are being played out, in a covert clash that claimed its most recent victim in the Hyderabadi engineer. 

India is a major presence in the reconstruction effort of Afghanistan. Arriving soon after the defeat of the Taliban and the liberation of Kabul, Indians have been a significant and visible presence in major infrastructure projects.

Major government projects in the country include road construction in Nimroz province and a hydroelectric project in Herat. India is also constructing a high capacity power line from Uzbekistan to Kabul.

But this is only part of the picture. Nearly 2,000 Indians live and work in Afghanistan today, from labourers to CEOs. They work in private companies from across the world dealing with everything from constructions, telecommunications, and networking to banking and hospitality.

Their skills and expertise have earned them the reputation of being nation builders for Afghanistan and the goodwill of Afghans. This, and the magnetic pull of Bollywood, combine to make Indians the most popular foreigners in Afghanistan.

In contrast, embittered by their experiences as refugees, ordinary Afghans hold Pakistan in great aversion.  This is in direct conflict with Pakistani interests. An Indian ascendancy over Afghanistan’s public resources and proximity to its government is detrimental to Pakistan’s ambitions in the region.

The Taliban, considered by some to be proxy agents of the Pakistani intelligence, allegedly target Indians to frustrate this trajectory.

The demand of all Indians leaving Afghanistan within a 24-hour deadline is seen as evidence that the root of the conflict lies in the struggle for regional dominance between the two countries.  Pakistan has been at pains to distance itself from the Taliban since 9/11.

However, it is apparent that if Indians were indeed to leave Afghanistan, it would suit Pakistan just fine.  Afghanistan itself is divided into pockets of localised power, with regions coming under the control of different authorities.

The pashtun dominated southern provinces have seen a regrouping of Taliban forces, making the areas highly volatile for ‘outsiders’.  The stretch of country from Kunar in the east to Khost, Paktika, Zabul, Kandahar and Hilmand is thick with Taliban forces and sympathisers.

Further north, Uruzgan is a hotbed for Taliban activities. Of these, Khost and Paktika, bordering Waziristan province of Pakistan, are highly volatile and considered by Afghan authorities as the entry point from training camps across the border.

Ironically, it is through the heart of this troubled country that Indians are often required to travel to get to the various projects they are working on like Suryanarayana, who was abducted near Hasan Karez village in Zabul province. The road he was travelling on, between Kabul to Kandahar, is dotted with such flashpoints like Shahjui, Pukhanda and Naurak.

The reputation of this route is so bad that even Afghans ensure heavy security when travelling in the region. A senior police official recalled that he had travelled the same route as Suryanarayana a few days before the incident.

Only he had ensured that he was accompanied by two jeeps of armed guards, with a rocket launcher. 
The urgent effort of the Indian government to secure Suryanarayana’s release indicates an awareness of the political capital Indian citizens represent in Afghanistan today.

It is also clear that the fact that Suryanarayana was an Indian served to raise the stakes around his abduction considerably, making it a highly charged battle between a constellation of forces.

Caught in the crossfire of regional ambitions in this volatile country, he fell victim to a new, cruel version of the great game.