NEW DELHI – External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Monday that theAfghanistan government has given the assurance that the six Indians whowere abducted earlier this month in that country are safe.

“Afghan Foreign Minister (Salahuddin Rabbani) assured me that they will besafe,” Swaraj said in response to a question at a press conference here,adding that negotiations were going on with the abductors.

Militants abducted seven people, including six Indians, on May 6 inAfghanistan’s Baghlan province, officials said, adding that talks were onto get them freed.

The kidnapping took place in Bagh-e-Shamal village.

Baghlan Governor Abdulhai Nemati said that those abducted worked for anIndian company KEC. The seventh person who was seized was an Afghan.

Swaraj said that she had written a letter when nothing happened forfive-six days.

Thereafter, she said, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also assured IndianAmbassador to Afghanistan Vinay Kumar of the Indians’ safety.

“Confidentiality is need for such negotiations to bear fruit,” she said,adding that she has also been continuously talking with the company’s owner.