HYDERABAD: Former external affairs Minister Inder Kumar Gujral Sunday called for immediate review of the foreign policy as the developments in the Soviet Union were a clear message to countries in the Indian sub-continent to have closer ties through cooperation and friendship.
“With a revolution emerging in the Soviet Union it is imperative that countries like India and Pakistan starve for better ties with neighbors since the Soviet situation is bound to have an impact in the region Gujral said.
India specially would have to do a quick rethinking on its foreign policy defence strategy and decentralization of power Gujral who was also been an ambassador to the Soviet Union said while delivering the Siasat foundation lecture on international affairs organized by “Siasat” (politics) a leading Urdu daily here.
Gujral said developments in USSR were a major challenge to the security of our country since it was “dependent” on USSR for arms and other defence equipment. “Not only India but other developing countries now face the risk of developed countries taking advantage of the situation” and imposing conditions to meet defence requirements he said.
Stating that the coup attempt in August was not against president Gorbachev but for a new order he said what was being witnessed in the Soviet Union was more a failure of management of socialism rather than the theory itself.
Describing the happenings as a virtual “third world war” (in the context of the fall of Ottoman Empire and Germany in the two world arms) he said even the USSR with defence advancement and nuclear armaments could not stop the disintegration of the union.
NEW DELHI: The Union cabinet Monday took up the issue of “one rank one pension” for ¢x-servicemen which is hanging like the proverbial Damocles sword over the two-month old minority Govt of the Narasimha Rao.
The National Front and the Left parties as well as the BJP have threatened to bring in separate cut motions in the Lok Sabha if the Govt does not yield to their demand. Losing a cut motion will mean the defeat of the Govt on the floor of the House which will lead 10 its resignation.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 6, 1991
