New Delhi, August 9
In the backdrop of last Saturday’s suicide attack on the Indian Consulate in Jalalabad, Kabul has cautioned India that the Taliban and transnational ‘jihadi’ groups based in Pakistan will remain the principal instrumentality of Islamabad’s response to India’s increasing engagement in Afghanistan in the run-up to the drawdown by NATO troops.

Information shared by Afghan officials with India following the Jalalabad attack indicates that the Indian Embassy in Kabul and Consulates in Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar and Herat are still on the target list of the Pakistani groups.

New Delhi has also been informed that the National Directorate of Security (NDS) in Afghanistan had over the past four months arrested more than 50 insurgents of Pakistani nationality who planned to attack not only Indian assets but also various other high-value targets in Afghanistan. On their radar were the National Assembly, several government departments and Kabul’s Serena Hotel, frequented mostly by foreigners.

It has also been communicated to India that Afghan security agencies have been put on a high alert especially along the long and porous border with Pakistan in the wake of some jail breaks in Pakistan which have led to the escape of a number of notorious terrorist commanders.

Sources acknowledged that the impact of the Jalalabad attack could have been much serious if Indian and Afghan agencies had not been in constant touch, sharing leads on threats from terror groups.

The security apparatus at the Indian Consulate in Jalalabad, which is close to the Pakistan border, had been beefed up only recently. It was due to this factor that Afghan security personnel could stop the explosive-laden vehicle when it attempted to enter the lane leading to the Consulate. The Consulate could have been blown up had the terrorists manage to enter the premises.

The needle of suspicion remains on the Pakistan-based Haqqani network, which is hand in glove with the ISI. Meanwhile, India has announced a compensation package for the families of those killed or injured in the Jalalabad attack. Nine Afghans were killed and 24 wounded in the attack.

In what was described as ‘token assistance’, Indian Ambassador Amar Sinha announced a compensation of $10,000 (about Rs 6 lakh) to the families of each of the victims. He also announced a reward of $20,000 for the Afghan security personnel who were on duty outside the Consulate when the attack took place. In addition, $2,000 compensation was announced for the Afghan soldier, who gunned down one of the suicide bombers, and stopped the attackers in their tracks.

The Ambassador announced that New Delhi would hand over $20,000 to the local government for the treatment of those who were injured in the attack. Another $10,000 would be given to the local government for the repair of the mosques which were damaged during bombings.