31 Afghan abductees' fate still uncertain, government assures safe release

In spite of hectic efforts by government to locate and ensure the safe release of 31 passengers abducted by militants in Afghanistan's southern Zabul province some two months ago, little progress has been made to achieve the goal and their fate is uncertain.

A total of 31 passengers were abducted by unknown armed men, ostensibly militants loyal to the Taliban outfit, on Kabul- Kandahar highway on Feb. 24 and had been taken to unknown location.

Members of the families of abductees, besides organizing rallies and demanding government to push for the release of their near and dear ones, have staged sit-in under a tent at nearby Arg or Presidential Palace in downtown Kabul, calling upon government to take step for the early release of the kidnapped passengers.

Afghan government's chief executive Abdullah Abdullah, according to local media reports, visited the tent of protesting family members of the abductees on Friday and assured government resolve to spare no efforts to ensure the safe release of the abductees.

"What is more important to us is the safe release of the hostages," Abdullah told the sit-in protestors, according to the newspaper Daily Outlook.

However, Abdullah declined to apprise the protestors about the government's steps taken for the release of the abductees, saying due to security reasons and for the safety of the abductees he cannot go into details.

The abductors, according to local media reports, have conditioned the release of the hostages to the release of 12 anti- government militants languishing in afghan government prisons.

On the alleged demand of kidnappers for prisoners' swap, Afghan government chief executive, according to the paper, said "the release of prisoners in exchange for hostages must not become a tradition."

Meantime, a civil society activist Baqi Samandar who is accompanying the sit-in protestors in talks with media has slammed the government for what he described as failure in rescuing the abductees from abductors' clutch calling upon both Afghan president Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and chief executive Abdullah to take essential steps for the early release of abductees.