AMRITSAR: The minister of state for foreign affairs, Raghunandan Lal Bhatia, alleged here recently that “certain elements” in Pakistan had been trying to sabotage peace efforts between the two countries,

He expressed apprehension that such elements might become more active in view of the recent secretary-level talks between the two countries, which, he said, had been a confidence building exercise. He attributed the recent incidents of firing by Pakistan in the Poonch sector to the “evil designs” of these elements which, he said, were not toeing the line of action suggested by the Pakistan Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif. He, however, declined to state who these elements were,

The leaders of the two countries had agreed to ignore such irritants as they would continue cropping up, apparently to stall the process of normalization of relations. The attack on an Indian diplomat in Pakistan a few days before the last secretary-level talks were to be held, was also a disruptive act by these elements, he alleged.

Bhatia said the results of the recent talks were encouraging as the two nations had agreed to more interaction between military officers.

Pakistan, he said, had accepted Indias proposal to send the armed forces chiefs for talks with their counterparts here. Bhatia said India hailed

Pakistan’s offer to observe a code of conduct for diplomats . From now on, there would be a constant exchange of information about the movement of the Army on the border, he said.

Bhatia said there would be increased interaction with Pakistan at all levels. He hoped that Pakistan’s assistance to militants would be scaled down considerably in the next few months in view of the international pressure it was facing.

The foreign minister said the non-aligned movement would have to assure a new role in the changed world scenario. Bhatia said in the new international economic order where there was a shift towards a unipolar world, NAM should strive to bring about a new international economic system, which was based On justice.

The present economic system, he said, was discriminatory as the resources of the third world countries were being exploited by the developed countries.

Commenting on the problems of the Afghan refugees, Bhatia said that elaborate arrangements had been made to rehabilitate them. He said the flaws in the policy of immigration for the Afghan refugees would be looked into.

Article extracted from this publication >> September 11, 1992