From Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi: Behind the din of ongoing political turmoil at the Centre over controversial and diplomatic resolution on Sri Lanka in the UN, there lies a lurking fear for India’s North East which could be misused by countries like next door China and arch enemy Pakistan.
Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs said that any move to include the word ‘genocide’ in Tamil areas of Sri Lanka by the past Government might encourage similar resolution by vested interest against India for its dealings in the North East and Jammu and Kashmir.
Despite repeated assurances from various quarters and vociferous demand from all sections of the local people, the controversial military law Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) has not been removed from these two region and there is no sign there off, even after so many years.
India also fears that this could open the floodgates for motivated resolutions by vested interests on Kashmir or the North-East.
India’s ambassador to the UN Dilip Sinha, who has briefed officials in New Delhi, is believed to have conveyed to South Block that countries like Pakistan and China will use India’s vote to advance their own strategic interest in Sri Lanka at ‘our cost’.
This has also been articulated by India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Ashok Kantha, too, who has advocated abstention during the vote. SAARC members such as Maldives and Pakistan are likely to vote against the resolution. India may also vote against Sri Lanka.
The clash between domestic interests and diplomatic ties has put the government in a bind. Sources say if India pushes for a stronger resolution condemning Sri Lanka, the country could gravitate towards Pakistan and China, which will have grave strategic consequences for India.
The Government is already worried over frequent reports of ISI and extremists nexus in the North East. It is also equally worried over flow of Chinese arms to the NE insurgents through the porous borders.
Caught between a deepening diplomatic dilemma and domestic political compulsions, India on Tuesday struggled to push for further amendments in the UN resolution against Sri Lanka that would appease the DMK without putting ties with the neighbouring country in jeopardy.
Sources said India is negotiating with the US so that a draft that would be acceptable to the Sri Lankan government and to the DMK. Amendments can be moved till the last minute by the US, the original sponsor of the resolution.
According to sources, South Block is opposed to the idea of getting the word ‘genocide’ included in the resolution, as demanded by the DMK. It instead would settle for the word ‘atrocities’. If the DMK is satisfied, India may vote for the resolution condemning Sri Lanka’s alleged human rights violations in the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 21.
The revised draft of the UN resolution, circulated on Tuesday, is a much watered-down version of the original. It calls upon Sri Lanka to conduct ‘an independent and credible investigation into allegations of violations of international humanitarian law’. While the March 12 draft ‘urged’ the Sri Lankan government, the new version just ‘encourages’ it to implement the recommendations made in the report of the Office of the High Commissioner.
It calls on ‘respective states’ and not the ‘Government of Sri Lanka’ to implement the recommendations made in the resolution.