New Delhi: Indian and Afghanistan governments are trying to rescue a female aid worker from Kolkata, who was abducted by suspected militants on June 9 night.
Judith D’Souza has worked as a senior technical adviser on gender with the Aga Khan Developmental Network, an international non-government organization, in Kabul, Afghanistan capital.
The 40-year-old woman’s Kolkata-based family on June 10 expressed the hope that India and Afghanistan will act soon to have her released.
“It happened in a different country. The government of that country should take steps. She liked the place as she said there was a lot of work to be done,” her sister Agnes D’Souza said.
“But if such a thing happens, who would want to go back. I am asking every channel to do their part. The government of India must do something and get my sister back. I want her back,” she added.
Asked about Taliban involvement in the crime, she said: “I don’t know.”
Judith’s family came to know about the development at around 1:30 am on June 10 from the Indian embassy in Kabul.
The Indian woman was abducted from the Taimani area of Kabul.
India’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted June 10 that she has been in touch with D’Souza’s sister and the ministry will spare no efforts to rescue her.
In another tweet, the Minister of External Affairs said, “She is your sister and India’s daughter. We are doing everything to rescue her.”
The Indian embassy is in touch with Afghan authorities to ensure her safe release, the sources said.
The government is in contact with the woman’s family in Calcutta, they said.
Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Calcutta said the Church is praying for D’Souza. “We pray for her safe release and return. Judith is someone involved in improving the lives of many people in difficulty,” the prelate told Asianews.
“I assure the family of my prayers and our support. She is from the Fatima Parish, and just last month she visited her parents,” the archbishop added.
“We know that the government is working for her release,” he explained. “In addition to being available to help, we continue to pray, especially to Our Lady of Fatima. May Judith soon come home to her family through her intercession.”
Several Indian Embassy sources in Kabul said that Indian authorities are working on the issue.
For their part, Afghan security forces are making every effort to elucidate the case and secure the aid worker’s release.
In June, the Indian Embassy had issued a security alert for Indians residing in Afghanistan and travelling to the country.
In June 2014, Jesuit Father Alexis Prem Kumar from India was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in the Afghan city of Herat. He was released in February 2015, but details of his release were not disclosed.
At least four Indians have been released from captivity in the past 13 years in Afghanistan. These include two construction workers who were kidnapped and released in December 2003.