India scaling down its operations in Afghanistan
New Delhi: India is looking at various options including paring down of the operations of its missions in Afghanistan in the wake of terror attacks on Indians there.
Government is also planning to put all the Indians working in projects like power and road together to ensure their safety, reliable government sources said today.
This follows an assessment made by National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon's visit to Kabul last week in the wake of terror attack on Feb 26 on guest houses frequented by Indians in which seven Indians were killed.
Apart from the embassy in Kabul, Indian has consulates in Herat, Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad.
The sources said that an advisory may also be issued asking all Indians now now in Afghanistan to return home.
They recalled that the operations of the Indian medical mission has already been put on hold after the Feb 26 attack in which the hand of Pakistan based LeT operatives is suspected.
Taliban terrorists, with backing from Pakistan's ISI, had targeted the Indian embassy twice in the past. On July 7, 2008, 60 people, including four Indians--one IFS official and a brigadier-ranked official were killed in the attack, while on Oct 8 last year, four ITBP jawans were among those injured.
Sources said the advisory is likely to be issued to the Indians working with private companies by telling them that providing security to everyone of them is practically not possible as there was high degree of threat to Indians and so it was upto them to decide whether to stay back or return.
There are around 4,000 Indians working in various government and private projects which include roads, power, IT, telecommunication, hospital, educational institutes etc.
Sources said five Pakistanis working in private projects were killed last week by Taliban in Afghanistan which mistook them as Indians. This also showed the vulnerability of Indian nationals in the troubled country.
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