EZHIMALA, Kerala: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has reiterated India’s commitment to the “just Palestinian cause” and called for immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza. “I strongly condemn the hostilities taking place in Gaza and express dismay at the unfortunate killing of hundreds of innocent civilians. We call for the immediate cessation of hostilities so that a settlement based on dialogue can be arrived at,” Singh said here on Thursday.
“I reiterate our unstinted and unwavering support to the just Palestinian cause. This is an area of special priority for India and over the next decade and more this focus would only intensify further”.
The Prime Minister’s statement comes at a time when the Left parties were planning to make it a major campaign plank to woo Muslim voters in the impending parliamentary elections. The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo, which met in Kochi on Thursday, has demanded snapping of ties with the Jewish state in the wake of strikes at the civilian and security targets in Gaza. The CPI-M also put the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the Congress party’s key ally in Kerala, in the spot by demanding junior foreign minister E Ahamed’s resignation in protest. Ahamed is the president of IUML. While launching a new training facility for the cadets in this picturesque village in north Malabar overlooking the Arabian Sea, the Prime Minister also recalled India’s longstanding relations with the Arab countries that “share India’s view of peace and prosperity in the region”.
“The Gulf is part of our extended neighborhood, separated only by the Arabian Sea, of which the Indian Navy is one of the sentinels. Many of the Gulf countries look upon India as a friendly and benign neighbor on which they can depend in times of difficulty and need. Nearly five million people of Indian origin live here,” he said.
“As I look at the vast expanse of the Arabian Sea before me and the Indian Ocean beyond, it is easy to see why the Indian Navy must have a much greater role in safeguarding the Nation’s vital security interests,” he said. “There is a marked increase in the attempts by various terrorist and other groups to use the blue waters around India for nefarious purposes. This is a matter of concern”.
