April 30, 2006	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 1, 1427

NEW DELHI, April 29: India on Saturday condemned the kidnapping of its worker by the Taliban militants in the Afghan province of Zabul on Friday and indicated that New Delhi would not yield to their demand that all Indians leave Afghanistan immediately.

The Indian foreign ministry said it had dispatched a team of officials led by a joint secretary to negotiate the release of K. Suryanarayan.

A Taliban spokesman was quoted as saying Mr Suryanarayan was an American agent.

“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 Shri Suryanarayan,” the foreign ministry said.

It said India had received a report from its Embassy in Kabul that some international news agencies in the Afghan capital have been contacted telephonically by an individual claiming to be a spokesman for the Taliban.

“The message he has given is that Indian government should announce by 6pm tomorrow that all Indians in Afghanistan must leave the country failing which the hostage would be killed,” the statement said.

Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran in a separate statement said Indians working in Afghanistan were doing to contribute to the much needed economic recovery and reconstruction of a friendly country.

Mr Suryanarayan, working for a Bahrain-based engineering and IT company, Al Moayed, was kidnapped, along with his Afghan driver, while travelling towards Qalat, capital of Zabul province.

Indians have been picked up as hostages in Afghanistan in the past too.

AFP adds: Interior ministry spokesman Yousuf Stanizai said in Kabul that Afghan security forces were engaged in a large-scale search operation in suspected areas to secure the release of the hostage.

“Police are trying their best. We are hopeful to secure his release soon,” he told AFP.