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Book Review
Pawns in a global chess game
Kesava Menon
ANATOMY OF AN ABDUCTION — How the Indian Hostages in Iraq Were Freed: V. Sudarshan; Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11, Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi-110017. Rs. 295.
The author of Anatomy of an Abduction probably did not intend to provide more than a straightforward narrative of the kidnapping by Iraqi insurgents of three Indian truck drivers in July 2004 and the efforts made to secure their release. Even so this book marks a departure from standard practice that could yield dividends if others carry on from where V. Sudarshan has left off.
Rising to a crisis
The Indian media has a relationship with the country’s diplomatic corps that is somewhat peculiar when compared with its approach to other arms of the government such as the Administrative and Police Services. There have been a few instances when the press has pounced on ill-considered remarks by officers of the Indian Foreign Service — the rumpus over Ronen Sen’s remarks at the height of the debate over the 123 Agreement being a prime example. But, by and large, journalists in this country, irrespective of their views on different aspects of foreign policy, have seldom criticised the professional performance of IFS officers. That diplomatic activity is shrouded in secrecy is only one of the reasons. A more pertinent reason is that journalists have distaste for being on the wrong side of the diplomatic corps. To put it bluntly, there are too many junkets at stake.
This sort of a tie-up works both ways. If journalists do not criticise the performance of the diplomatic corps, they also do not usually praise work well done. Even then secrecy codes do not block the narration of a story. Through his detailed examination of the efforts put in by Zikrur Rehman, the point man, in the negotiations with the kidnappers and the other officers who faced considerable risk as they worked in an insurgency-wracked city, Sudarshan shows how the IFS can rise to a crisis. Now that a positive take on the Foreign Service is available, the media can surely make a case for going the other ways as well.
Close to a thriller
Three Indian truck drivers, Antaryami, Sukhdev and Tilakraj were working for a Kuwait company that was ferrying goods for the occupation forces in Iraq when they were kidnapped near Fallujah. They were among the 6000-strong Indian workforce that provided various services to the army of the U.S. and its handful of allies after the invasion of Iraq. In its monitoring of the welfare of labourers in the countries of the Persian Gulf Region the IFS has a far from unblemished record. Given the circumstances of a war-torn country, there would have been little surprise if the release of the three hostages had not been secured. It is to the credit of the Foreign Service hierarchy from the ministerial level downwards that it went further than the extra mile to achieve its objective.
There are three passages in this narrative that bring it close to the thriller genre. The first relates to the manner in which the negotiating team reacted after they were led up a blind alley by Sheikh Duleimi who presented himself as a representative of the hostage-takers. For the first few weeks after the abduction, this dubious character was the only link with the kidnappers. When the talks on this track collapsed there seemed to be little hope until Rehman pulled off a bit of magic.
The second interesting part is where Sudarshan gives the reader a glimpse of the organisational capabilities of the hostage-takers.
The third relates the cloak-and-dagger process by which the hostages were actually delivered to Rehman’s custody.
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