Judith kin write to PM, urge him to do his utmost

Keeping the hope alive that Judith D’Souza, kidnapped in the Afghan capital Kabul, will be home soon, her family on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to do his “utmost” to secure her release from her abductors even as external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said the government was working round the clock to secure her release and that details could not be shared at this stage.

“This is a very delicate matter. Human life is at stake. We are working round the clock. I cannot share details,” Ms Swaraj tweeted after a query by a lady on what action the government was taking to secure the release of the kidnapped woman. “Thank you Madam. My parents are so grateful for your support and concern. We look forward to my sister coming home soon,” Judith’s brother Jerome tweeted in response.

According to news agency reports, Kolkata-based Judith’s father Denzil D’Souza, mother Gloria, brother Jerome and sister Agnes wrote a common letter to the Prime Minister, copies of which were sent to Ms Swaraj, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Trinamul Congress MP from the state Derek O’Brien.

In the letter, the family members have said that the “brave, thoughtful, generous and compassionate” Judith had been working in Afghanistan for the well-being of the Afghan people and “as an ambassador of goodwill from India’s people, participating in the developmental programmes of that country”.

Describing her as a “proud Indian”, the family said, “As you can imagine, the news of Judith’s kidnapping has shocked and stunned us. It has placed a shroud upon our family.” They added, “We were eagerly awaiting her arrival home on vacation in a week from now, and do hope she will be back with us soon.”

Judith, 40, working for international NGO Aga Khan Foundation as a senior technical adviser, was kidnapped by suspected militants in the heart of Kabul last week. She was scheduled to return to India next week. Her family said the government has reached out to them in “our time of need and anxiety” and that Ms Swaraj as well as an MEA official had spoken to them in the past two days. “However, we still await concrete details,” they said. “Sir, we appeal to you in your capacity as the leader of our great country and as the custodian of the well-being of our citizens, to please do your utmost to get dear Judith back home...” the family wrote in the letter to the PM.

The letter noted Mr Modi’s remarks earlier that “Afghanistan’s success is a deeply-held hope and desire of every Indian” and said it is so critical to India’s engagement with the neighbouring country. “...We seek your active support under this noble sentiment as well.” The family had words of praise for West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee government. “In Kolkata, where we have lived our lives and where Judith was born and educated, the community, our peers and the government, led by chief minister Mamata Banerjee, have left us overwhelmed with their warmth and solidarity in this hour of crisis for our family,” they said.

Ms Swaraj had last week described Judith as “India’s daughter” and had declared then that the government was “doing everything to rescue her”. A hectic weekend of negotiations seem to have taken place as part of efforts to secure her release.

There have been some reports from Afghanistan that Judith D’Souza was kidnapped for ransom. Indians are working in Afghanistan in various infrastructure projects and in other jobs. Hundreds of Indian engineers had worked on the Salma Dam in Herat, which was inaugurated recently. But the kidnapping has raised serious concerns about the safety of Indians working in Afghanistan.

Afghan security agencies are probing whether the Pakistan-backed Taliban were directly involved in the abduction but the move to target an Indian working there is significant considering that Prime Minister Modi recently visited Afghanistan and made efforts to strengthen ties between India, Afghanistan and Iran. Pakistan’s ISI has also been under the scanner for its role in organising Taliban militant attacks on Indian diplomatic missions in Afghanistan over the past few years.