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Kidnapping: Indian team for Afghanistan

      New Delhi: The Government on Saturday dispatched an official team led by Joint Secretary, External Affairs Ministry, KBS Katoch to Afghanistan to assist the Indian Embassy in Kabul in dealing with the situation arising out of the kidnapping of Indian engineer K Suryanarayan. "The team includes officials with experience in dealing with similar situations in the past. The team has been authorized to establish contact with all concerned parties through appropriate channels in order to secure the safe and early release of K Suryanarayan," an official release stated.

    Earlier, Cabinet Secretary BK Chaturvedi convened a meeting of key officials to review the latest developments arising out of the kidnapping. of the Hyderabad-based engineer by the Taliban on Friday evening while travelling from Kalat, the capital of Zabul province, to Ghazni. A spokesman of the Government said that the Indian Embassy in Kabul and the Afghanistan Government have been requested to keep New Delhi posted on any fresh developments relating to the April 28 kidnapping of 41-year old K. Suryanarayan. Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed said that Suryanarayana was working for the Bahraini company 'Al Mayyad' which is into telecom and construction business in Afghanistan. The embassy has also been instructed to reiterate security instructions to all Indians working in Afghanistan and to request the companies employing them to reinforce their security. Suryanarayan's family in Hyderabad has been informed of the incident and reassured of the efforts being made by the Government to secure his release. The Government has condemned the incident and the attempts 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.

     Suryanarayan was kidnapped, along with his Afghan driver, while travelling towards Qalat, capital of Zabul province. The kidnapping which took place around 6 p.m. on Friday has been claimed by the Taliban in a call made to local media. Al Moayed is currently undertaking a project for Roshan Telecom, an Afghan mobile telephone service provider. According to company sources, Suryanarayan had gone to the site of the company's work about 60 kms from Ghazni around 1.30 p.m. on Friday. The Indian Embassy in Kabul immediately contacted Afghan security authorities, the international security force deployed in the area and the Afghan mobile company, Roshan Telecom, to secure his release and to ensure the safety of the other Indians working in the company.

    The kidnapping of Suryanarayana is the third incident in the last four months wherein an Indian has been targeted in Afghanistan. The Taliban abducted Maniappan R Kutty, a Border Road Organization jawan and engaged in building of Zaranj-Delaram highway, four months ago. Three days after Kutty's kidnapping, his body was found in Kandahar province. In February this year, Indian engineer Bharath Kunmar, working with a Turkish firm, was killed in a bomb blast in Farah province. Indian doctors working in various hospitals in Afghanistan have also received threats from the Taliban, ousted from power in 2002. New Delhi has taken up the issue of security of all Indians working in Afghanistan with Kabul at the highest level. The matter was also discussed when Afghan President Hamid Karzai when he visited Delhi earlier this month.