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Straw under attack for arms supplies to India, Pak.

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON JULY 19. The Blair Government came under fresh pressure today to review arms supplies to India and Pakistan after a powerful committee of MPs sharply criticised the British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, for ``failing'' to stop arms exports to the two countries despite fears of a war over Kashmir.

The cross-party committee, in its report released today even as Mr. Straw was in New Delhi, expressed ``surprise'' that he allowed arms sales to continue ignoring the Government's own guidelines which prohibited exports of weapons in situations where they could be used ``aggressively'' by recipients.

``The stand-off over Kashmir should, in our view, have led to its application with very great vigour,'' the report said, pointing out that the circumstances in the region were a fit case for imposing an arms embargo. It was difficult to ``conceive of circumstances short of an all-out war'' where a ban on arms supplies would be more appropriate, it said.

The Foreign Office, however, defended the decision and a spokesperson told The Hindu that India and Pakistan had ``legitimate arms requirements'' . She said the arms for which export licences were cleared did not breach the relevant guidelines.

She said that the British Government had been engaged in helping to defuse the tension between India and Pakistan and expected them to exercise restraint. Sources maintained that there was no contradiction between Britain's ``peace efforts'' and its decision not to impose a blanket arms embargo.

Mr. Straw, in his deposition before the committee, said that a decision on clearing licences was taken on a case-to-case basis after making sure that they did not breach the guidelines on arms exports. The committee, however, found inconsistencies in his statements on the issue. In June, he told MPs that he had not personally approved any licences in the previous two months but later he acknowledged that 148 licences had been cleared in respect of India, and 18 for Pakistan.

The report, which overshadowed the British media's coverage of Mr. Straw's visit to India and Pakistan, was prepared by senior MPs belonging to select committees on foreign affairs, defence, trade and industry and international development. It came amid accusations that the Blair Government's claim to pursue an ``ethical'' foreign policy had been compromised by its aggressive ``marketing'' on behalf of the country's lucrative arms industry.

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