NEW DELHI: India’s interests in the Gulf and Islamic world suffered a setback on Dec.7 following the demolition of the mosque in Ayodhya even as Pakistan threw afresh diplomatic challenge to the Narasimha Rao government on the issue of treatment of minorities in this country
Angry Muslims including a large number of Indians forced Dubai’s gold market one of the largest in the world where scores of Hindu merchants own shops close down in protest against the demolition attacked the Gulfs only Hindu temple and demanded the tricolor at the Indian consulate in Dubai be brought down.
Attacks on Indian shops were also reported from Abu Dhabi an Sharjah even as Iran’s deputy from foreign minister summoned Indian ambassador Hamid Ansari to demand the reconstruction of the Babri Masjid.
Pakistan taking advantage of the discomfiture of the Congress (I) government fired another diplomatic salvo by asking high commissioner S.K.Lamba for a revival of the Nehru-Liaqat pact of 1947 on treatment of minorities.
The pact which was hitherto presumed to have been superseded by the Shimla agreement gives Pakistan and India a say in the internal affairs of each other on issues of mutual concern such as the treatment of minorities.
There were other developments in Indo-Pakistan relations as well on Dec.7 India expelled Mohammed Ashfique an assistant at the Pakistan high commission here who was caught receiving classified information from an Indian army havidar on Saturday and Pakistanis burned down the Indian Airlines office in Lahore destroying all documents and property but sparing the officials of the airline.
These combined with attacks on the offices of the Indian high commission and the Indian Airlines in Dhukha Indian temples and Hindu shows in Bangladesh cast shadow over the SAARC summit to be held in the Bangladeshi capital which was postponed.
Article extracted from this publication >>
