We won’t quit, says Delhi

NEW DELHI: The death of Suryanarayana, the second Indian to be abducted and killed in Afghanistan within six months, highlights the security risks for hundreds of Indians working in various projects in the war-ravaged country.

Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran confirmed that the body found on Sunday morning between Qalat and Ghazni was Suryanarayana’s. Reports from Kabul that he was killed while trying to escape have not been confirmed. Suryanarayana, a telecom engineer, arrived in Afghanistan just four months ago.

He was abducted by the Taliban on Friday. His captors had demanded that New Delhi withdrew all its citizens from Afghanistan within 24 hours.

But Saran emphasised that India is determined to help Afghanistan and the killing would not force a rethink on its support to the Hamid Karzai government. “The government and people of India will never bow to such acts of terrorism,” he said, and called upon the international community to join hands to “defeat this scourge of humanity”.

Most experts agreed with Saran that India must not back out of Afghanistan. “It is a price most nations have to pay in difficult situations,” said Hamid Ansari, former ambassador to Iran. “This does not mean we bow down to terror threats. Will we withdraw from Kashmir or the Northeast because people get killed?”

As of now, nobody in government is blaming Pakistan, though it is no secret that Islamabad is not happy about India’s close ties with Karzai. When the Taliban was in power in Afghanistan, Delhi was out of the loop and Islamabad held all the cards.

Former high commissioner to Pakistan G Parthasarathy said, “Of course, the jihadi groups in Pakistan have strong links with the Taliban. Now that Osama bin Laden and his deputy have reportedly made remarks against India, we are a target for all Islamic fundamentalist groups.”

Parthasarathy said the Indian consulates, especially in Jalalabad and other areas bordering Pakistan, should have lines of communication with the local warlords. “The warlords can help if Indians are abducted,” he said. “The information channels and knowledge of the terrain can be of immense help. The consulates should also keep tabs on all Indians working in the country.”

New Delhi beefed up security for its citizens in Afghanistan after MR Kutty, an employee of the Border Roads Organisation, was killed last November.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police is deployed in Afghanistan to guard the Indian embassy and consulates. The force also guards the camps of the BRO, engaged in building a road connecting Iran and Afghanistan.