Will spare no effort to free abducted Indians, says Afghan foreign minister

NEW DELHI: The Afghan foreign minister Salahuddin Rabbani told the new Indian ambassador to Afghanistan Vinay Kumar that the government would leave no stone unturned to protect and free the Indian engineers abducted by the Taliban on Sunday.

The Afghan foreign ministry said in a statement, “foreign minister Rabbani expressed grief and sorrow over the abduction of Indian engineers in Baghlan province and said that the Afghan security forces will not spare any efforts to protect the physical safety and secure the release of these engineers. He also mentioned that efforts have been initiated through the community elders to help secure their release.”

Vinay Kumar replaced Manpreet Vohra as India’s ambassador to Afghanistan recently.

Rabbani also held a conversation with foreign minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday evening to assure her that the Afghan government would take all steps to ensure that the engineers are freed soon. “Rabbani in the conversation assured the Indian external affairs minister that the Afghan security forces would not spare any efforts in rescuing and ensuring the security and safety of the engineers.”

Afghan news reports say the authorities in Afghanistan are working with tribal leaders after the abduction was announced on Sunday. Some reports said the engineers were abducted in error, with Taliban militants mistaking them for Indian government officials. But now that it has become an international incident, the Taliban are playing a different tune. In India, the MEA went silent given the “sensitive” nature of the issue.

The Pajhwok Afghan News quoted provincial police spokesman Zabiullah Shuja as saying that the abductees were in good health, citing initial information.