Indians freed, Govt denies Taliban link

The two Indians kidnapped while working on a US-funded road project in Afghanistan were released on Tuesday night, but government officials ...

The two Indians kidnapped while working on a US-funded road project in Afghanistan were released on Tuesday night, but government officials denied claims by Taliban guerrillas that it was they who had abducted them.

Looking tired, the young men told reporters on Wednesday they had been treated well by their captors, who seized them on December 6 while they were on a shopping trip in Zabul. They were working on the $270-million refurbishment of Kabul-Kandahar highway.

Afghan Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali said the men, P. Murali (24) and G. Varadaiah (25) were released late on Tuesday and that no ransom was paid. ‘‘Twice we were shifted to new locations and then for about 15 days we were kept in one place,’’ Murali said.

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‘‘We’re delighted the boys are back with us,’’ said Indian Ambassador Vivek Katju at a brief press conference in Kabul. C.S. Sethi, managing director of the BSC-C&C joint venture for which the men worked, said they were brought to Ghazni on Tuesday before being taken to Kabul.

The Afghanistan government had earlier said Taliban rebels could be behind the kidnapping, and the militia too had made calls threatening to kill the Indians. But Jalali today said the kidnappers had no connection with leaders of the ousted hardline government.

‘‘With some negotiations on part of the government, through tribal leaders and local elders, the people who were keeping them were persuaded to free them,’’ Jalali said. ‘‘The people who kidnapped them had no relations with the leaders of the Taliban.’’

A key player in the negotiations is believed to have been Mullah Abdul Salaam ‘Rocketi’, a commander with the anti-Soviet Mujahideen or ‘‘holy warriors’’.

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As news of the release of the two men reached their homes, the families wept with joy. Murali’s father P. Penchalaiah lost his wife a year ago and had been in a state of shock since the kidnapping. ‘‘I was deeply worried…It is due to the grace of God that Murali was left unharmed.’’ A large number of people had gathered at his Atmakur home to congratulate him. Varadaiah’s mother Venkataseshamma, who lives in a hut in Vovveru village near Nellore, also thanked God.

Officials said the two men were looking forward to joining their families in India, and may fly back on Sunday.