Indian
aid worker abducted in Afghanistan returns home, PM Modi 'delighted'
·
Updated: Feb 22, 2015 05:17 IST
A photo of Indian aid worker Father Alexis
Prem Kumar, who was abducted by Taliban militants in Zenda Jan district in
Herat province of Afghanistan. (PTI photo)
Indian aid worker Father Alexis Prem Kumar, who was abducted by
the Taliban from Afghanistan's Herat province, returned home on Sunday, ending
a year-long wait and marking another chapter of diplomatic victory for the
central government.
The Jesuit priest's release - which came seven months after the
government freed Indian nurses trapped in Iraq - is believed to be the outcome
of national security advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval's long negotiations in
Afghanistan.
"Delighted at securing the release of Indian Jesuit priest
Father Alexis Prem Kumar from captivity in Afghanistan," Prime Minister
Narendra Modi tweeted.
Prem Kumar, a native of Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu, was abducted
from a school for refugees in Afghanistan's Sohadat, about 25km from
Herat. He was working with Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), an educational
charity, as its Afghanistan director and had been in the war-torn country for
over three years when he was kidnapped.
Before moving to Afghanistan, Prem Kumar had served Sri Lankan
refugees in Tamil Nadu on a JRS assignment.
His abduction had drawn widespread attention and even the
Vatican had expressed concern.
Prem Kumar's relatives had met external affairs minister Sushma
Swaraj and NSA Doval, requesting the government to secure his release. His
family members had also petitioned the Sivaganga district collector.
Father Prem Kumar was in constant touch with his family in India
from Afghanistan through Skype network.
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