NEW DELHI, 6 November 2003 — India expressed concern yesterday over developments in Sri Lanka where President Chandrika Kumaratunga sacked three ministers suspended Parliament and declared a state of emergency, and urged dialogue to avoid a constitutional crisis.
“We really hope that these events will not lead to a constitutional crisis in Sri Lanka and scar the peace process between Colombo and Tamil Tigers,” Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha told reporters. He said India hoped that a way could urgently be found through
political dialogue to avoid any constitutional crisis.
“We are hoping the Sri Lankan leadership will through dialogue among themselves be able to sort out the issues that have arisen,” Sinha said.
Asked if the Sri Lankan developments will have any impact on its ties with India, Sinha said, “I don’t think the events will have any impact.” President Chandrika’s visit, scheduled for later this week, may however be not possible owing to the sudden developments at home.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said in a statement late Tuesday that New Delhi was “surprised at the sudden political developments in Sri Lanka.”
Sri Lanka was thrown into political turmoil Tuesday by Kumaratunga’s sudden actions, which included placing troops and police on red alert. She dismissed the defense, interior and information ministers while her political rival Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was in Washington for a meeting with President George W. Bush on the island’s peace process.
India, which once backed Sri Lanka’s Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), has more recently come out in support of Wickremesinghe’s bumpy efforts to establish a dialogue mechanism with the separatist guerrillas.
Last month, during a visit by Wickremesinghe to New Delhi, India pledged to forge defense ties with Sri Lanka and to allow more civilian flights to the island nation. Analysts quoted in Indian media Wednesday said that while India has publicly supported Wickremesinghe’s peace efforts with the LTTE, it privately shares Kumaratunga’s concerns over the rebels’ latest proposal for a de facto federal structure for the island.
Fishermen Freed: Meanwhile, India released 93 Pakistani fishermen and seven boats on the Arabian coast, held for the past two years for trespassing into its territorial waters.
Pakistan earlier released 74 Indian fishermen and 23 boats held for intruding into its waters. Voicing India’s concern about cross-border terrorism as the main obstacle to normalization of Indo-Pak ties, Prime Minister Vajpayee called upon Indian intelligence agencies and security forces to maintain a round-the-clock vigil. This was essential to defeat nefarious designs sponsored from across the border, Vajpayee added.
“We can acquire weapons and wealth. But what we really need is to maintain continuous vigil and alertness to meet the challenges posed to India’s security,” Vajpayee said, while addressing a three-day conference organized by the Intelligence Bureau. Complimenting the forces for their role in preserving internal security, Vajpayee said, “New threats and challenges were being thrown up and we have to successfully meet them. There is a need for 24 hours alertness.”
