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Indian hostages : Way cleared for their release |
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Way is reported to have been cleared for the release of three Indian hostages in Iraq. This has been stated by the Minister in charge of efforts to secure their release, Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahmed. But, speaking at a press conference on Aug 7 he refused to confirm the release of the hostages unless he had received clear and authoritative information to that effect. He, however, said, what he can confirm is that all indications point to a positive outcome to the crisis.
The hopes were raised following face-to-face negotiations between the mediator, Sheikh al-Dulaimi, and the representatives of the Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Company [KGL] in Baghdad where Dulaimi is believed to have conveyed the demands of the abductors. One of their key demands is compensation. Sources say that the deal had earlier floundered over the question of “compensation” for the families of the people of Fallujah who had suffered due to American bombardment of the city. Bit, prior to the meeting between Sheikh Dulaimi and the KGL representatives, sufficient homework had been done to ensure that the talks do not derail. The KGL spokesman had said on August 2 that the company was willing to accept all demands of the kidnappers. The next day a direct communication with al-Dulaimi was disrupted after he withdrew from the mediatory role, but later restored. According to the officials, the initial demand of the kidnappers was a payment of $5 million and this was later scaled down to $3 million following KGL’s refusal to pay such a massive amount. Finally, the negotiations between the Sheikh and KGL are said to be in the range of $350,000 for the release of all the hostages as part of a package deal.
Once the payment is made or guaranteed, the hostages will be freed and handed over to Sheikh al-Dulaimi. He will then ferry them to an agreed destination. Till last week, it had been agreed that the hostages would be taken to the Egyptian Embassy, but now officials believe that the captives [seven in all] would be taken to Baghdad airport to be flown to Kuwait. India may then send a plane to bring the three Indian hostages, Antaryami, Tilak Raj and Sukhdeo Singh, back to India.
Efforts to secure their release suffered a setback on August 1 after the key Iraqi negotiator, Sheikh al-Dulaimi pulled out of the parleys amid conflicting reports on their being set free. Dulaimi announced that he was withdrawing because of failure to reach any agreement with the drivers’ employers, KGL. He said, he had received a communication from the leader of the hostage-takers to withdraw from the negotiations if no agreement was reached by the evening of August 1.
A group calling itself “Holders of the Black Banners” had abducted seven truck drivers – three Indians, three Kenyans and an Egyptian – on July 21. They want the KGL to abandon its operations in Iraq and compensate victims of US raids in the flash point city of Fallujah. Failing this, they threatened to execute them. The abductors had stayed execution threat three times and appointed Dulaimi, a tribal chief, to mediate on its behalf with the governments of the hostages and KGL.
Some premature celebrations earlier broke out when the Kenyan Foreign Minister, Chirau Ali Mwakwere, announced on Aug 1 that all the hostages, including three Indians, three Kenyans and an Egyptian, had been released and brought to the Egyptian Embassy in Baghdad. The families of the three Indians burst into joy, began celebrations and exchanged sweets. But, their hopes were dashed soon when both the Indian Government and the chief negotiator, Dulaimi, said they had no information to confirm the claim of the Kenyan Foreign Minister. “This is not true. They have not been released”, said al-Dulaimi. In New Delhi, the Indian Government said it had no confirmation of their release.
While the seven hostages in the hands of the group are awaiting release, six kidnapped foreigners – four Jordanians and two Turks, have been freed in Iraq. Four Jordanian truck drivers, kidnapped eight days ago, were released in the city of Fallujah. But, only two days earlier, the militants had executed a Turkish truck driver, following which the drivers in Turkey refused to ferry supplies to US forces across the border into Iraq. Similarly, two Pakistani hostages have not been lucky enough to be released. The militant group holding the two Pakistani contractors, Sajad Naeem and Raja Azad Khan, killed them but released their Iraqi driver. The “Islamic Army” in Iraq announced that they had kidnapped and killed them because Pakistan was planning to send troops to Iraq. They sent a videotape of their execution to al-Jazeera which did not telecast it because of the gruesome details of the killings. Both Raja Azad and Sajad Naeem were working for the Kuwait-based al-Tamimi group in Baghdad. Pakistan condemned their killing as a crime against humanity and Islam and urged its nationals working there to pull out.
In the meantime, it is reported that more than five thousand Indian drivers and others working are not only being subjected to physical and metal torture but also are being illegally detained by the US Army in its camps and messes in Kuwait. Thousands of other Indian youths have shunned their jobs and are striving hard to come back to India to save themselves from being taken as bonded labourers by the US Army for ferrying arms and ration-loaded trucks for US soldiers stationed in neighbouring Iraq. This startling revelation was made by Harnek Singh and Lakhwinder Singh, the two Sikh truck drivers hailing from Bhangala village in Punjab. Another truck driver from Madsara village managed to flee from Kuwait last month after he refused to budge to the pressure tactics of his Kuwaiti employer. Kuwaiti transport companies are forcing even untrained Indian drivers to work in Iraq against their wishes to ensure uninterrupted supply of food items and arms and ammunition to the US army. In a gruesome incident, Iraqi militants killed Kulwant Singh Minhas while he was transporting the US Army’s cargo from Kuwait to Iraq about three months ago. His killing went unnoticed by the Indian authorities. His body was received by the family only 23 days after his death.
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