Journalist:. Mr. Ambassador, according to the report of an Ecologist, Delhi’s air is not fit to breathe, its water is not fit to drink and its civic amenities are in total mess.
Ambassador that’s right.
Journalist: Being capital of the Indian Republic, Delhi is the political hub of the country and maximum money is allotted out of the Central treasury to maintain it.
Ambassador: Very correct.
Journalist Is the air of Delhi not fit to breathe because the Cabinet Ministers lead communal mobs in killing the minorities? And is the water undrinkable because the funds allotted for cleaning it are misappropriated by the rulers?
Ambassador: Not in national interest to disclose.
Journalist Mr. Ambassador, India has strongly reacted to the parallel drawn by Turkey in the U.N. Security Council between the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka and the Turkish troops in Cypress.
Ambassador: That’s right.
Journalist: The Indian delegate wanted Turkey to know that India “fully supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka”.
Ambassador: Very correct.
Journalist: Do you think forcible violation of Sri Lankan air space by the Indian Air Force on the pretext of dropping food supplies can by any stretch of imagination be interpreted as supporting Sri Lanka’s sovereignty? Isn’t Indian Army angling to play in Sri Lanka the same role as the Soviet Army is playing in Afghanistan?
Ambassador: Not in national interest to disclose.
Journalist: Mr. Ambassador, the Congress (I) General Secretary, Mr. Nabi Gulam Azad has said that the government is not averse to holding negotiations with the freedom fighters.
Ambassador: That’s right.
Journalist But he has put the condition that freedom fighters must first lay down their arms and surrender to the police. Ambassador: Very correct.
Journalist: How come India did not put this condition before starting negotiations either with Laldenga or with Sri Lanka’s rebel groups? Why is this discrimination with the Sikhs?
Ambassador: Not in national interest to disclose.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 22, 1988
