Indians kidnapped in Afghanistan: Sushma calls up Afghan Minister

Steps for release of abducted Indians

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj addresses a press conference over the death of 39 Indians who were kidnapped in Iraq, in New Delhi on Tuesday. PTI Photo by Subhav Shukla (PTI3_20_2018_000098A)

India on Monday reached out to Afghanistan to secure the release of the six of its nationals abducted on Sunday in Baghlan province. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called her Afghan counterpart and sought assistance to find the men who were taken away by unidentified kidnappers.

“External Affairs Minister requested all possible support in securing the release of abducted Indians and in response, Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddiin Rabbani assured all help,” said a source elaborating on the conversation between the two Foreign Ministers. Mr. Rabbani was in Dhaka to attend a ministerial meeting of the OIC when the conversation took place and on his return to Kabul, he followed up the conversation with a meeting with Indian ambassador Vinay Kumar.

Expresses grief

“At the outset, Foreign Minister Rabbani expressed grief and sorrow over the abduction of Indian engineers in Baghlan province and said the Afghan security forces will not spare any efforts to protect the physical safety and secure the release of these engineers. He also mentioned, efforts have been initiated through the community elders to help secure their release,” a press release issued by the Afghan Foreign Ministry said following the meeting between the Indian envoy and the Afghan foreign minister.

Though the identity of the abductors remain uncertain, sections of the Afghan media have reported that the Indians were kidnapped by the men of Taliban commander Qari Nooruddin. This information is yet to receive official confirmation. The latest hostage crisis began after six Indians and an Afghan employee of energy major KEC, were taken away on Sunday from near the Khawaja Alwan substation of Pul-E-Khumri city of Baghlan province.

KEC, a billion dollar infrastructure and electricity company is part of the RPG Enterprises that is headquartered in Mumbai. The company is known for executing challenging projects and has been active in Afghanistan. On April 22, the company signed the 220kV Doshi-Bamyan Transmission Line contract with Afghanistan’s national electricity company.