NEW DELHI: The first meeting of the consultative committee of parliament attached to the external affairs ministry. The meeting was chaired by external affairs minister, Inder Kumar Gujral. It said no interference would be tolerated.
Meanwhile diplomatic sources said the Pakistan foreign minister Sahibzada Yaqub Khan’s warning of perilous consequences of inflamed passions on Kashmir during his visit here drew a strong reaction from the Indian side which felt it could be construed as an ultimatum.
New Delhi left Islamabad in no doubt about its determination to defend its territorial integrity.
The Indian side considered as highly provocative Sahibzada Yaqub Khans’ assertion that the people of Pakistan could not separate themselves from a special relationship with Kashmir,
Diplomatic sources said India’s stern response backed with a strong evidence about Pakistan’s abetment in terrorism on the Indian Territory saw Sahibzada Yaqub Khan offering to examine the issue on his return home.
The sources said Sahibzada Yaqub Khan went to the extent of saying that he wondered whether the two countries were heading towards another 1965 (Indo-Pak war).
Khan also mentioned about some people in Pakistan who wanted to take revenge for the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.
The second Indo-Pak war began on December 3, 1971. India recognized Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan) its forces marched into Bangladesh and joined hands with the Mukti Vahini (Salvation forces) there, leading to the surrender of Pakistan army and the formation of independent Bangladesh.
India viewed Sahibzada Yaqub Khan’s observations as highly provocative and pointed out to him that there were chauvinists in India as well.
Without saying that it was an ultimatum, Sahibzada Yaqub Khan said the two sides should be able to prevent such a situation because the sequence of events could lead to “perilous” consequences,
He wanted the two sides to ensure that the things did not go out of hand.
The Indian side in unequivocal terms conveyed to Sahibzada Yaqub Khan that the trouble in Jammu and Kashmir was because of instigation from across the border.
Socio-economic problems were being given a religious colour by the Pakistani side and their (Pak) efforts would not succeed, Yaqub Khan was told.
Pakistan was asked not to fish in troubled waters. The Kashmir and Punjab problems would be resolved, though it might take time as agitations were part of the democratic process, the Indian side stressed.
New Delhi was of view that the Pakistani fulmination was more because of the internal crisis facing, the minority government of Benazir Bhutto.
Sahibzada Yaqub Khan was told that India felt that the Pakistan government was itself creating problems in bilateral relations between the two countries by instigating public opinion in the country on the Kashmir issue.
Sahibzada Yaqub Khan, who was in New Delhi from January 21 to 23, came here within 10 days of the visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s special envoy, Abdul Sattar.
He came here with a full brief as Bhutto had convened a high level meeting in Islamabad to discuss the situation in Kashmir.
The Indian side felt that Yaqub Khan’s statements were uncharacteristically strong and tough.
However he was cautioned that every Indian carried on his shoulder the weight of 1,000 years of history and no Indian would standby idly while the country was subjected to pressure of disintegration.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 2, 1990
