The Hindu : An unacceptable intervention, says Gujral

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 25, 2003

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An unacceptable intervention, says Gujral

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI MARCH 24. The former Prime Minister, I.K. Gujral, today said that the Iraq war which has been precipitated by the Anglo-American agenda of regime change in the Gulf nation was an ``unacceptable intervention'' as it was aimed at gaining control over the oil wealth of that nation and dictating the flow of oil to world markets.

Delivering the Capital Foundation Annual Lecture on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the Ford Foundation in India at the Constitution Club here, Mr. Gujral said the Iraq war was inflicting misery on innocents and hoped that ``better sense would prevail''.

But he warned of the implications of the agenda saying it would also affect oil supplies the world over and force a rethink on new alignments. In this regard, he pointed to a proposal of a gas pipeline from Iran to India via Pakistan.

With respect to Pakistan, Mr. Gujral said that nation in its ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf's own words now fears becoming a target of the U.S. war on terror after the Iraq hostilities are over. While lamenting that Pakistan unlike India has failed on various socio-economic-political matters, he said there was a need for India to not to impose strict visa and travel restrictions on the people of that country to reinforce modernist forces and trends there for confronting the Islamists.

Mentioning a recent article published in the Daily Times of Pakistan, he said there is a growing tendency among the liberals in that society to have a democratic set-up. ``They feel that the Army should step down of its own initiative for, instead of Pakistan owning the Army, it is the other way round.''

Also, he said, many in Pakistan now believe that Kashmir should be left to Kashmiris as Pakistan has spent more energy in trying to liberate it than it has on its own well-being. Coming to the topic of the lecture, ``India and its eastern neighbours'', the former Prime Minister said that with China increasing its presence in South-East Asia by planning a 5,500 km road from Singapore to the mainland, constructing ports in Myanmar and taking to development projects in Laos and Vietnam, it was also imperative that India took a fresh look at its role and geo-strategic requirements in the region.

He also advocated strengthening SAARC by adopting the ASEAN model which overlooked bilateral differences such as those existing between Malaysia and Indonesia or between Malaysia and China.

Mr. Gujral was awarded the Capital Foundation Awards for Outstanding Contribution along with three other members of the society — the Attorney-General of India, Soli J. Sorabjee, former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Rajinder Sachar, and former Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation, Joginder Singh.

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