Author: HT Correspondent
Publication: Hindustan Times
Date: January 16, 2002
Left parties on Tuesday decided
to withdraw their members from the all-party delegation to be sent to various
countries to mobilise opinion on Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism
and to drum-up support in favour of India.
CPI(M) General Secretary Harkishen
Singh Surjeet said the Left parties had decided to pull out because there
was no need for such visits now, after Pakistan President General Pervez
Musharraf's promise of action and the Government's wait and watch policy.
But the Government clarified that
it was going ahead with the visits. A senior Cabinet minister said the
matter was discussed at Tuesday morning's meeting of the Cabinet Committee
on Security (CCS).
After the CCS meeting, External
Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh said the tour programme had been finalised.
"The delegation of MPs will go... Those who do not want to go will not."
Later, an MEA spokesperson said
that the composition of seven delegations was being worked out and the
first team of five or six members will leave for Indonesia, Malaysia and
Brunei next week.
The Left's decision to stay away
from the delegations stems from its stated position on the US' war against
terrorism, which it views as another means to "extend (the US's) domination".
Earlier, the Congress had criticised
the Government for taking the decision to send all-party teams without
consulting the Opposition.
But later, the party changed its
stance and went along with the Centre.
