T.N. priest back after eight months in Taliban custody

[prasad1]

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Jesuit priest Fr. Alexis Premkumar Antonysamy, who was released from captivity eight months after he was abducted by the Taliban at Herat in Afghanistan last June, reached Delhi on Sunday. Officials said details of the efforts that led to his release could not be shared.

“God has saved me, I thank him first. It is because of [Prime Minister Narendra] Mr. Modi I am back in India,” Fr. Premkumar told presspersons, emerging out of the Delhi airport. The priest may meet the Prime Minister on Monday.
The External Affairs Ministry said Fr. Premkumar’s release was secured after it was “pursued by our leadership, including at the highest levels [by] the Prime Minister.” But the government released few details, and declined to disclose if the abductors had demanded ransom. Fr. Premkumar was visiting a Jesuit Refugee Service-support educational institution near Herat when he was kidnapped on June 2.

T.N. priest back after eight months in Taliban custody - The Hindu

I am happy he is free.
What was the reason of his visit to Afghanistan?

 

[JR]

I faintly recall reading about this priest at Dinamalar... I think he was pursuing his Ph.D on the origins and prevalence of terrorism -- something like that!

 

[mkrishna100]

Must be a great relief to his family as it is really impossible to come from once you are in the clutches of the monster called Taliban . This will also boost Sri Modis image among Christians especially after the Delhi attacks on Churches .Already he addressed a Christian Gathering in Delhi post the Delhi elections and now he has taken efforts at the highest level to secure the release of this Father . Congrats to all the people involved in this effort .

 

[prasad1]

Alexis Prem Kumar was the Country Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Afghanistan. A native of Tamil Nadu, Kumar has been working with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) for more than a decade. After an experience of serving Sri Lankan refugees in Tamil Nadu, he has been serving in the education programme in Afghanistan for the last three years.

 

[prasad1]

The safe return of Father Alexis from what must have been a traumatic eight months for him, his family and his community is a cause for celebration and relief, so too that he appears unharmed, at least outwardly. Less than two years ago, an Indian was killed in Paktika province, and in 2010, six Indian workers were killed in a targeted attack in Kabul. Away from Afghanistan, the fate of 40 Indians captured by Islamic State (IS) remains unknown. Father Alexis’s return has highlighted that Afghanistan remains dangerous territory, and that New Delhi needs to be ever mindful of the safety of the 3,000 or so Indians working there on infrastructure projects, especially as India’s involvement in these projects is a matter of strategic choice. With the departure of the United States' and other international troops from Afghanistan ongoing, India’s role in Afghanistan is bound to come under greater strain and scrutiny than before. It is now up to the Indian government to ensure that civilians do not become the collateral casualties of the Great Game in the neighbourhood.

 

[sarang]

USA creates a problem and exits when it gets hot to handle, letting other partners carry the can. India cannot fight islamic terrorism in foreign countries; it must protect itself by sealing its borders, identifying and isolating native sympathetic terrorists and ruthlessly expose sympathizers.

America now demands compensation of several hundred millions from Palestinians for the damage caused to american interests. Will it insist that the same treatment is given to other countries for their loss of men and assets?