Modi: Will spare no effort for release of fr. Kumar, abducted in Afghanistan
Chennai (AsiaNews) - Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has assured Tamil Nadu that his government would spare "no effort" to ensure the safe release of Indian priest Alexis Prem Kumar, who was abducted in Afghanistan last week.
Indian aid worker Alexis Prem Kumar, hailing from Tamil Nadu, was abducted on June 2 from Herat in Afghanistan by unidentified gunmen.
In a letter to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, the premier said the primary concern at this stage is to ensure the integrity of ongoing efforts for Father Prem Kumar's release and "to ensure that he does not come to harm".
"I can assure you that the Government will spare no effort for the safe and earliest possible release of Father Prem Kumar. I will continue to monitor the situation very closely", Modi said.
Modi's letter was in response to the one sent to him
by Jayalalithaa on June 4, requesting him to "personally intervene"
and take up the matter at the highest level in Afghanistan for the early
release of fr. Prem Kumar." Noting that he was "deeply concerned"
about the abduction of Prem Kumar too, Indian premier said: "I have been
assured that the Government of Afghanistan and the authorities in Herat
are taking every possible step to ensure the early release of fr. Prem
Kumar".
Indian Ambassador in Kabul Amar Sinha has been in "regular" touch with the President's office and the security agencies, Modi said. "My National Security Advisor Ajith Doval has also spoken to his Afghan counterpart, who has assured full and sustained efforts by the Afghan Government to seek Prem Kumar's release", he said.
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