DNA Edit: Afghan Abduction

The recent abduction of seven Indian nationals in Afghanistan shows once again just how vulnerable Indians are across the world. Whether it is Iraq, Afghanistan or the coast of Somalia, where pirates freely attack Indian vessels — Indians are at high risk today. This is the grim reality that governments and politicians must realise — that incidents of Indians being targeted, abducted, and possibly killed, is likely to rise. No government can openly say this, but in the case of Afghanistan at least, such situations cannot be avoided.

India has a huge investment in Afghanistan, especially, more so now, as President Donald Trump has indicated that the US troops are likely to exit the country within the next six months. Afghanistan is in India’s backyard and India simply cannot allow the country to slide back into the ‘terror’ days of Taliban rule and thus all enablers are needed to keep the country stable. The Taliban and the Al-Qaeda have worked hand in glove with Pakistan-based militant groups in Afghanistan to further jihad in Kashmir. It was thus no accident that the hijacking of the IC-814 plane by the Harakat-ul-Mujahideen was diverted to Kandahar. Militancy against India thrives in Afghanistan and New Delhi has to go the extra mile to support the country and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to prevent it. Such a stance is not without risks.

In 2008, the Kabul bombing on the Indian embassy killed 58 people and injured 114. In 2016, the Indian mission in Jalalabad was attacked, leaving nine dead in what was the fourth attack on the Indian consulate in the city. In fact, the Taliban’s intentions were made clear way back in 2006, when Indian engineer Kasula Suryanarayana was abducted by them. They had warned all Indian companies to leave Afghanistan, failing which, he would be killed. Despite the Indian government’s then bids to negotiate for his release, Suryanarayana was beheaded. The latest abduction of these Indian engineers shows that little has changed in the Taliban’s stance.

The Indian government has to pull out all stops to rescue its nationals, but the question then arises at what cost and what is India prepared to do? The US currently has a no-negotiation policy and Israel’s response is to reply with maximum force. India has no declared option, ensuring that militants still see it as having a ‘soft image’. The Kandahar hostage crisis was a case in point as it saw the release of three militants — the most notable of them being Maulana Masood Azhar, who is believed to have organised the 2001 Parliament attack and more recently the 2016 terror strike on a Pathankot air base.

Despite PM Modi’s bid to change India’s image, disunity within the Parliament and the playing of politics during a hostage crisis, has ensured that a consensus on how to act is almost impossible to reach. Thus the tag of the ‘soft’ image remains. In the current scenario, the government must prepare the families, media and the nation to expect the worst. Suryanarayana’s case shows there’s little reason to believe otherwise.