NEW DELHI, 30 September — Leftist parties in India yesterday criticized the government for allowing a United States Air Force Hercules transport plan to land and refuel at an airport in New Delhi.
New Delhi’s role in the US war against terrorism has taken a new turn with the landing of US plane at Palam airport on Friday. No American military aircraft had landed on Indian soil over the past 10 years.
While it is unclear as to whether this is suggestive of US initiating strikes against Afghanistan any moment, India’s “help” has generated a heated debate within the country.
However, the government yesterday said a US Air Force plane that landed and refueled at the country’s most important airbase was not linked to a possible US strike on Afghanistan.
The official statement came as opposition political parties criticized the government for allowing the US Hercules transport plane to land and refuel at a strategic military airbase in New Delhi on Friday.
Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah said the refueling had “nothing to do with US operations in Afghanistan.”
“It did not carry tanks or equipment like that or troops. We have been giving such facilities to friendly countries and such rights had been extended to military aircraft during the 1991 Gulf War,” Omar said. The Indian foreign ministry in a statement said the C-130 aircraft transported non-military American personnel assigned to the US Embassy in New Delhi. “The flight came from Singapore... and returned to Singapore,” the ministry said, adding that the plane was granted landing and refueling facilities in line with India’s “usual practice with aircraft turnarounds” offered to friendly states. Natwar Singh of the main opposition Congress party met Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee yesterday to seek a clarification on the overnight landing of the plane, officials said. Opposition Marxists were, however, not mollified. “Strong doubts have arisen in the minds of the people that such provision of landing facilities will gradually involve our country in the intended American war against Afghanistan,” the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) said in a statement. The party said the government had recently given an assurance to opposition parties that India’s involvement in the war against terrorism would not go beyond an exchange of information with the US.
“It looks like the government is trying to hide certain moves,” the statement said. Expressing objection to the landing of US planes, the CPM released a statement, pointing out, “Strong doubts have arisen in the minds of the people that such provision of landing facilities will gradually involve our country in the intended American war against Afghanistan.”
A.K. Anjan, the national secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), said: “It is strange that this has happened. Why were the United States planes allowed to refuel here?”
The Indian government has offered logistical support to the US, including the refueling of aircraft, for military action in Afghanistan.
Hundreds of CPM supporters staged a protest march in Delhi yesterday against the government’s support for the US. “We can’t afford a US-imposed war so close to our borders,” said Swadesh Bhattacharya, a member of the CPM politburo. Sources have also said that permission was given for landing in keeping with procedures of external and defense affairs ministries.
Defense sources said, that there was “nothing, new or startling” about the aircraft’s arrival. “It is nothing to be surprised about since we had already offered such facilities.” Sources indicate that the request for refueling was made by American Embassy earlier this week.
