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Pakistan pleaded inability to help in Maniappan rescue

Special Correspondent

M.K. Narayanan was misquoted, Pranab Mukherjee tells Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI: The Government on Monday told the Lok Sabha that it sought Pakistan's assistance in securing the release of the kidnapped Border Roads Organisation driver Ramankutty Maniappan, but Islamabad expressed inability to help as it did not have relations with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Maniappan was subsequently killed.

Defence Minister and Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee also said National Security Advisor M. K. Narayanan was "misquoted'' as having stated Pakistan had a hand in the killing. The Minister said Mr. Narayanan told him that the remarks attributed to him were in response to a question and about the role of Pakistan and its relations with Taliban in the past.

Mr. Mukherjee was responding to Leader of the Opposition L. K. Advani, who demanded that the House be taken into confidence on whether there was any substance in what Mr. Narayanan said.

He said the Taliban and its supporters bore the responsibility for the consequences of the killing, and condemned the inhuman and barbaric act against an innocent person.

Making a suo motu statement, Mr. Mukherjee said the Government had made every effort possible to seek Maniappan's release in cooperation with Afghan authorities. Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai himself took charge of these efforts, convening a special Cabinet meeting and setting up a task force to deal with the crisis.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh personally monitored developments and on his instructions a group of officials from the Ministries of Home, External Affairs and Defence and security agencies was set up.

Referring to the kidnap report on November 19, Mr. Mukherjee said the Indian Embassy in Kabul immediately established contact with Afghan authorities and sought their help in locating Maniappan and other hostages and securing their release.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the kidnap and demanded the withdrawal of the BRO from Afghanistan within 48 hours, failing which, it said, the Indian hostage would be killed.

On November 22, some news agencies reported that they had received calls from people, claiming to represent the Taliban, that they had killed the Indian hostage.

The next day Maniappan's body was found near Delaram. "The Taliban and its backers bear the responsibility for the consequences of this outrageous act. The perpetrators of this heinous crime must be brought to justice swiftly,'' Mr. Mukherjeesaid.

His family would receive Rs.9 lakhs as compensation, free education for his two children up to the secondary level and liberalised family pension for his widow.

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