RIYADH, 29 January — Acting president of the Shoura Council Dr. Bakri Shatta yesterday strongly condemned the attack on Indian Parliament on Dec. 13 as an act of terrorism. He said such acts tarnish the great religion of Islam, which preaches brotherhood, love and moderation.
His message came during a meeting with Dr. Najma Heptulla, deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha (the upper house of Indian Parliament), currently in the Kingdom as a special envoy of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Heads of various Shoura sub-committees attended the meeting.
The council members stressed the need for a “dialogue of civilizations” so that misunderstandings between people of different cultures could be removed.
Dr. Shatta noted that India, as an ancient civilization, was a fountainhead of culture and wisdom, and that modern India continued to draw upon this rich legacy.
Dr. Heptulla is carrying a written message from Prime Minister Vajpayee to Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, on the current situation in the region.
Earlier, at a reception to mark India’s Republic Day, Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad referred to the decision by New Delhi to designate Jan. 9 every year as NRIs Day. He said ten outstanding NRIs would be honored annually for their contribution to the country of their residence. The criteria for selection, the nature of the award, and the procedure for submitting nominations will be announced shortly.
Concerning manpower supply from India, Ahmad called for the revival of recruitment procedures which were prevalent five years ago to prevent employers from tampering with the labor contracts.
Under the system, every labor contract had to be attested by the Indian Embassy or Consulate General and a copy of the document was kept by the mission.
