ID :
26775
Mon, 10/27/2008 - 09:54
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/26775
The shortlink copeid
Dhaka appeals Afghan abductors to free Bangla aid workers
Anisur Rahman
Dhaka, Oct 26(PTI) The Bangladesh foreign ministry Sunday issued an appeal calling upon Afghan abductors to free two Bangladeshi aid workers and asked authorities in Kubul to make all out efforts to secure their release.
"I appeal through the media to those who abducted them
to release them for they are two innocent people who were in
Afghanistan to serve their Afghan brethren, nothing more," a
foreign ministry statement quoted foreign adviser Iftekhar
Ahmed Chowdhury as saying.
The statement was issued after Afghan envoy in Dhaka
was invited to the foreign ministry where Chowdhury handed
over to him a letter for Afghan foreign minister Rangin Dadfar
Spanta seeking the Kabul government intervention for their
release.
The development came three days after unidentified
Afghan abductors kidnapped two officials of B.R.A.C., the
world's largest N.G.O., from the Ghazni province of the
troubled country where they were working for the last three
years.
Officials said the letter also highlighted the
B.R.A.C. workers contribution to Afghanistan's reconstruction
particularly in health and micro-credit operations and
establishing schools.
In an apparent aftermath of the incident the
Dhaka-based B.R.A.C. Sunday announced a decision to withdraw
gradually 150 of its staff from Afghanistan in next five
years, three years after the B.R.A.C. joined the
reconstruction campaign in the war torn country.
"B.R.A.C. wants to leave Afghanistan making sure that
its Afghan employees can replace Bangladeshis to run its
programmes. We want to build their capacity to execute the
programmes," a B.R.A.C. statement said.
Thursday's kidnapping came a year after a B.R.A.C.
official was killed while another was taken to hostage for 83
days by unidentified miscreants in the same region of
Afghanistan.
"There were 392 Bangladeshi B.R.A.C. staff when the
[abduction of Nur Islam] took place. We then reduced the
number of Bangladeshi staff to 150 . . . We will withdraw all
of the 150 Bangladeshi workers from Afghanistan within the
next five years," Aminul Alam, B.R.A.C.'S executive director
said.
B.R.A.C.'S Afghanistan mission was the first of its
international initiatives, operating for the last three years
in the fields of micro-credit, health, education and women's
empowerment.
Observers say militant Islamist groups in the country
are increasingly targeting N.G.O. workers for their activities
in education and women's empowerment.
There have been 146 security incidents involving
N.G.O. workers in Afghanistan up to October this year,
compared to 135 for the whole of 2007, according to the
Afghanistan N.G.O. Safety Office which monitors N.G.O.
security. PTI A.R.
RKM
Dhaka, Oct 26(PTI) The Bangladesh foreign ministry Sunday issued an appeal calling upon Afghan abductors to free two Bangladeshi aid workers and asked authorities in Kubul to make all out efforts to secure their release.
"I appeal through the media to those who abducted them
to release them for they are two innocent people who were in
Afghanistan to serve their Afghan brethren, nothing more," a
foreign ministry statement quoted foreign adviser Iftekhar
Ahmed Chowdhury as saying.
The statement was issued after Afghan envoy in Dhaka
was invited to the foreign ministry where Chowdhury handed
over to him a letter for Afghan foreign minister Rangin Dadfar
Spanta seeking the Kabul government intervention for their
release.
The development came three days after unidentified
Afghan abductors kidnapped two officials of B.R.A.C., the
world's largest N.G.O., from the Ghazni province of the
troubled country where they were working for the last three
years.
Officials said the letter also highlighted the
B.R.A.C. workers contribution to Afghanistan's reconstruction
particularly in health and micro-credit operations and
establishing schools.
In an apparent aftermath of the incident the
Dhaka-based B.R.A.C. Sunday announced a decision to withdraw
gradually 150 of its staff from Afghanistan in next five
years, three years after the B.R.A.C. joined the
reconstruction campaign in the war torn country.
"B.R.A.C. wants to leave Afghanistan making sure that
its Afghan employees can replace Bangladeshis to run its
programmes. We want to build their capacity to execute the
programmes," a B.R.A.C. statement said.
Thursday's kidnapping came a year after a B.R.A.C.
official was killed while another was taken to hostage for 83
days by unidentified miscreants in the same region of
Afghanistan.
"There were 392 Bangladeshi B.R.A.C. staff when the
[abduction of Nur Islam] took place. We then reduced the
number of Bangladeshi staff to 150 . . . We will withdraw all
of the 150 Bangladeshi workers from Afghanistan within the
next five years," Aminul Alam, B.R.A.C.'S executive director
said.
B.R.A.C.'S Afghanistan mission was the first of its
international initiatives, operating for the last three years
in the fields of micro-credit, health, education and women's
empowerment.
Observers say militant Islamist groups in the country
are increasingly targeting N.G.O. workers for their activities
in education and women's empowerment.
There have been 146 security incidents involving
N.G.O. workers in Afghanistan up to October this year,
compared to 135 for the whole of 2007, according to the
Afghanistan N.G.O. Safety Office which monitors N.G.O.
security. PTI A.R.
RKM
