THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after Father Tom Uzhunnalil, the priest who was kidnapped over a year ago in Yemen, was released from captivity, the Union government denied reports that a ransom was paid.
"The Ministry of External Affairs works quietly, does its work without making too much noise and ultimately ensures that the work gets done," minister of state for external affairs VK Singh told reporters here on the sidelines of a state outreach conference organised by the ministry.
Singh replied in the negative when asked whether any ransom was paid to the captors.
Asked about the role played by the Omanese government in Father Tom's release, V K Singh said that when direct methods do not yield results, indirect methods have to be adopted. "The aim is to get the problem solved and in achieving that aim, anybody who assists us is welcome. In such situations we need to take anyone's help," he added.
Asked about reports that the assets of India's most wanted criminal Dawood Ibrahim have been seized by the UK government, Singh admitted that "things are happening".
He added, "But we can't let the cat out of the bag now."
Singh also declined to comment on the Kulbushan Jadhav case, the hearing of which was slated to be held in the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Jadhav was sentenced to death by a court in Pakistan earlier this year on charges of spying.
Asked how India was planning to handle the Rohingya Muslim refugee issue, Singh said the Union government would stick to its refugee policy. “We have taken in people as part of our policy and we will go as per the policy that we have made in dealing with them,” he added.