'Will Never Bow To Such Acts Of Terrorism'

Briefing by Foreign Secretary on the kidnapping of Indianengineer Shri K. Suryanarayan in Afghanistan

Based on the statement which has beenmade by the Taliban and also on the report that we have now received from thesite where the dead body of a person was found between Qalat and Ghazni thismorning, it would appear that Shri K. Suryanarayan, an Indian engineer workingfor a Bahraini company, Al Moayed, on a telecom project in Afghanistan, hasunfortunately been killed.

The Government of India is appalled bythis dastardly and inhuman act of terror on the part of the Taliban and itssponsors, which has resulted in the tragic and untimely death of an innocentIndian citizen, who, like many of our other compatriots, had been making acontribution to Afghanistan’s reconstruction with dedication and diligence.

The Government of India extends its heartfelt condolences and sympathies to thebereaved family and shares its grief and deep sense of loss. We stand by themembers of the family in their hour of profound sorrow and pledge our support tothem to ease their pain and suffering. We assure them that every effort is beingmade to apprehend the perpetrators of this criminal act and bring them tojustice swiftly.

As soon as the abduction ofSuryanarayan took place, the Government of India left no stone unturned to seekhis safe release. A crisis management team was convened by the Cabinet Secretaryto monitor developments on a continuing basis and work out urgent measures todeal with the crisis. The Prime Minister personally followed developments inthis regard. A team led by a senior MEA official, and including experts inhandling hostage situations, was promptly dispatched to Afghanistan, to assistour Embassy in Kabul to deal with the situation. We had been in constantcommunication with the Afghan authorities, with the international securityforces deployed in the Zabul area and with our network of contacts in thecountry, to make every effort possible to bring this unfortunate incident to asatisfactory conclusion. However, Suryanarayan was brutally murdered even beforethe MEA team landed in Kabul this morning. It is obvious that the kidnapperswere not interested in negotiating for his release but had premeditated hiskilling. The outrageous demand that all Indians should leave Afghanistan within24 hours testifies to the real motivation behind this act of terror.

The Government and people of India willnever bow to such acts of terrorism and will continue their fraternal assistanceto the people of Afghanistan in their endeavours to bring peace, stability andeconomic recovery to their country ravaged by years of conflict. Severalmeasures have been taken in the past few months to increase the level ofsecurity for Indian nationals working on Indian Government-aided projects inAfghanistan. Private companies employing Indian personnel had also been advisedto put in place comprehensive security measures. These measures would be furtherreviewed and strengthened and the special team now in Kabul has been mandated tomake any further recommendations to Government after consulting Afghanauthorities, our Embassy and the companies employing Indian citizens.

The Government of India regards Talibana terrorist organization and calls upon the international community to recognizeits true colours and join hands together to defeat this scourge to humanity.

Question: Sir, you talked about the Taliban as sponsors of terrorism. Forthe last few months the authorities in Kabul have been pointing fingers towardsIslamabad and blaming them for the spiraling violence by the Taliban. Are youmaking an indirect reference to Pakistan and saying that Pakistan needs to domore to crack on the Taliban insurgents especially along the Pak-Afghan border?

Shyam Saran: Asyou are aware there have been reports that Taliban elements have been operatingin the areas which straddle the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and have beencarrying out acts of terrorism. We have also witnessed their involvement in actsof terrorism within Pakistan itself. This only underscores the need to recognizethe Taliban and other similar outfits who profess an ideology of extremism, anideology of violence, as terrorist organizations. And these must be confrontedand defeated by the international community acting together; I think thisincludes India and Pakistan as well.

Question: Mr. Saran, do we have any kind of leverage with the Taliban.And, did we ask Pakistan…

Shyam Saran: I have just mentioned to you the need for both India andPakistan as well as the international community to work together. Today there isreally no tolerance for terrorism throughout the world. There is zero tolerancefor terrorism. I think this act only underscores the need for all of us to worktogether to defeat this scourge.

Question:Sir, what arrangements are being made to bring the body back?

Shyam Saran: Well, we will be making whatever arrangements are requiredand as early as possible to bring the body back to India. These are detailswhich are already being worked out. As soon as we have any confirmation aboutthe arrangements to bring the body back to India we will, of course, keep youinformed.