Kabul has engaged tribal elders and security forces to negotiate with the Taliban Kidnapping has become a lucrative business for both the Taliban and criminal gangs KABUL: The Afghan government on Monday said it is trying to establish contacts with the Taliban to secure the release of seven Indians taken hostage by the group in northern Baghlan province on Sunday. The seven employees of the Indian power company KEC International were taken hostage at gunpoint along with their Afghan driver en route to a project site. “Efforts are underway to get them freed,” Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danesh told Arab News. “We’ve engaged tribal elders and security forces to negotiate with the Taliban to free the hostages.” The government does not yet know what the Taliban’s conditions are, he added. The abducted Indians had not coordinated their activity with the Afghan government or used state-provided security men for their protection, Danesh said. Dilawar Aimaq, a lawmaker from Baghlan, told Arab News that the team was possibly seized by a criminal gang and sold to the Taliban. Kidnapping has become a lucrative business for both the Taliban and criminal gangs in Afghanistan, where security has sharply deteriorated in recent years. In the past, some captives have been killed, while others have been freed after a ransom payment or as part of a prisoner swap. KEC International CEO Vimal Kejriwal issued a statement urging all Indians in Afghanistan to exercise caution, India’s press reported on Sunday. “We are very concerned, and the matter is being looked at by the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) at the highest level,” he said. “In the interest of the safety of our people and the sensitive nature of the situation on the ground, we will not be commenting any further,” he added. “We want to assure everyone concerned that we are working with the authorities to ensure the safe return of our employees.” The Indian engineers were building a power substation in Baghlan, where the Taliban last month blew off electricity pylons that provide power to Kabul and much of the country. After a days-long blackout, the power cables and pylons were reinstalled. The Taliban’s spokesman had no immediate comment on the abductions when contacted by Arab News, and the Indian Embassy could not be reached at the time of writing.