No Ransom Paid to Release Father Tom, Clarifies MoS VK Singh

Release of Father Tom underlines one thing that the Ministry of External Affairs works quietly and without noise,

India on Wednesday said no ransom was paid for the release of Keralite priest Father Tom Uzhunnalil from the captivity of Islamic State militants in Yemen, and that "extremely complicated" diplomatic efforts were undertaken to secure his freedom.

The Catholic priest from Kerala was rescued in Yemen on Tuesday, over 18 months after he was abducted by Islamic State terrorists on 6 March 2016, during a deadly attack on a care home in the port city of Aden in the war-ravaged country.

At least 15 people at the old-age home were killed in the attack.

Also Read: Abducted Priest Tom Uzhunnalil Rescued from ISIS After 18 Months

Release of Father Uzhunnalil on Tuesday underlines one thing that the Ministry of External Affairs works quietly and without noise, but ultimately gets the work done. We know the type of criticism that had come up a couple of times when Father Uzhunnalil disappeared in Yemen. We are very happy that he has come back safely and I’m sure people will appreciate that we were able to get him out – safe and sound. If a direct method failed to yield results, indirect methods are adopted and the aim is to get the problem solved.

V K Singh, MoS External Union Affairs

The minister said “no” when asked at the news conference in Thiruvananthapuram whether any ransom was paid for the release of the priest.

Another Union minister Alphons Kannanthanam, who hails from Kerala, said hectic diplomatic efforts were taken at various levels, including at the level of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Minister Sushma Swaraj, to bring the priest back to safety.

The release of Father Uzhunnalil was made possible at the end of extremely complicated diplomatic efforts. He acknowledged the help that India received from many countries, including Oman and Saudi Arabia, in fulfilling the mission. 

Alphons Kannanthanam, Union minister

Alphons said this in response to questions related to the role of the Indian government in getting the release of the abducted priest.

Also Read: Will Spare No Effort to Secure Father Tom’s Release: Sushma Swaraj

A video of Uzhunnalil had surfaced in December in 2016, in which he appealed to the government to free him.

In July, Union minister Sushma Swaraj had taken up the issue of Uzhunnalil’s abduction with the deputy prime minister of Yemen and requested him to secure the release of the priest.

Last year, Swaraj had said Prime Minister Modi himself has spoken to various countries so that the priest could be released.

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