India, Afghanistan: Price of Reconstruction
By Animesh Roul
Two Indian engineers were killed and at least five others injured in April 12 suicide attack in Nimroz province, located in southwestern Afghanistan when Taliban militants targeted the convoy of road construction workers involved in 218 km strategic Zaranj-Delaram highway project. The slain engineers were working for the Border Road Organization of India (BRO).
Saturday’s blatant terror act came immediately after Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak visited India seeking counterterrorism assistance and training for its armed forces. This might have fuelled the already existing Taliban anger against India and its endeavours in Afghanistan.
A desperate but resurgent Taliban has attempted to disrupt the Highway construction work which is slated to complete by December 2008. Earlier too, Taliban militants had targeted BRO workers and Indian engineers. In November 2005, Maniyappan Kutty, a driver working with the BRO was abducted, with Taliban demanding the immediate exit of the organization from Afghanistan. He was later killed. Again in April 2006, the Taliban had abducted and later beheaded Indian telecom engineer K Suryanarayan, who was working for a Bahrain company Al Moayed on a telecom project in that country. After the killing of Surynarayan, Taliban had threatened to perpetrate more attacks on Indians involved in different reconstruction projects there.
Despite all the hurdles and human costs, India won’t be succumbing to these pressures from Taliban militia and likely to continue its aid and reconstruction efforts in war ravaged Afghanistan.But both India and Afghanistan should deploy effective security measures for the safety of these construction workers (over two thousands Indians reportedly involved in various projects) as the existing deployment of some IndoTibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel for BRO is not proving enough.
A List of India's Involvemnet in Afghan Reconstruction:
• Around 400 BRO personnel involved in Zaranj-Delaram highway.
• Afghanistan's Parliament Building
• Power transmission line from Pul-e-Khumri to Kabul
• Reconstruction of Salma Dam power project, Herat
• Telephone exchanges in 11 provinces
• Televison network uplink from Kabul, downlinks in all provincial capitals
• CII project for training 3,000 Afghans in vocations ranging from carpentry, plumbing to masonry and tailoring.
[The list is not exhustive though, there are other projects with active Indian participation]