Will wait for outcome of Afghan probe on Sushmita murder: India

New Delhi: India on Tuesday said it will wait for the final outcome of the investigations into the death Indian author Sushmita Banerjee, who was killed by Taliban in eastern Paktika province of Afghanistan last week, and was ready to help if her Afghan husband wants to send back her belongings. “Our initial impression was that there was some family issue but we will wait for the final outcome as the local police would be in the best position to provide that information to us,” the Spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry said. [caption id=“attachment_1099207” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Associated Press[/caption] He was asked about MEA’s views on reports of conspiracy in the killing of the Indian author and demand for probe by her family and friends. He also said the ministry has also informed the same to the West Bengal government. The Spokesperson said the ministry was also ready to help Banerjee’s husband if he wanted to send back some of her belongings to India. Meanwhile, Banerjee’s husband has already informed the Indian Ambassador to India that he has performed the last rites of the author. Banerjee, 49, was married to Afghan businessman Jaanbaz Khan and recently moved back to Afghanistan to live with him. Alleging conspiracy by her husband, Banerjee’s relatives and friends in Kolkata wanted a “proper probe” into her death. Banerjee’s book “Kabuliwalar Bangali Bou” (A Kabuliwala’s Bengali Wife), about her escape from the Taliban in 1995, became a bestseller in India and was made into the Bollywood film “Escape From Taliban” in 2003. The memoir focused on her life in Afghanistan with her husband and her escape from the militants. PTI