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All-party meeting voices concern over deaths of Afghan civilians
An all-party meeting on Afghanistan Tuesday night expressed concern over the increasing civilian casualties there, even as opposition parties attacked the controversial ordinance to fight terrorism.
An all-party meeting on Afghanistan Tuesday night expressed concern over the increasing civilian casualties there, even as opposition parties attacked the controversial ordinance to fight terrorism.
With Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee wondering as to when the war in Afghanistan would end, all political parties underlined the need for maintaining communal harmony.
Stating that the sporadic incidents in Malegaon, Hyderabad and Delhi were a warning, Vajpayee asked the states to take sternest measures against anyone indulging in provocative actions whoever they may be. Briefing newsmen after the two-hour meeting, parliamentary affairs minister Pramod Mahajan said the issue of Vajpayee meeting Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in New York next month did not come up in the deliberations and no opposition leader raised it.
However, leaders of major parties told reporters outside that they favoured a dialogue between the two countries saying problems can be resolved through discussions.
As regards the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO), he said the Left, RJD and Samajwadi Party expressed their opposition saying they had not been consulted on the matter. Congress President Sonia Gandhi told reporters later, “We are strongly opposed to this ordinance. It is a draconian measure. We cannot accept it”.
Prime Minister Vajpayee said in the meeting that India was firmly opposed to representation of Taliban in any future government in Afghanistan.
Besides Sonia Gandhi, prominent leaders who attended the meeting included Dr Manmohan Singh (Congress), Somnath Chatterjee (CPI-M), Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP), Mayawati (BSP), M P H Pandian (Aiadmk), K Yerrannaidu (TDP) and V K Malhotra (BJP). The government was represented by Union ministers L K Advani, Jaswant Singh, George Fernandes, Yashwant Sinha and Vijay Goel.
Stating that the sporadic incidents in Malegaon, Hyderabad and Delhi were a warning, Vajpayee asked the states to take sternest measures against anyone indulging in provocative actions whoever they may be. Briefing newsmen after the two-hour meeting, parliamentary affairs minister Pramod Mahajan said the issue of Vajpayee meeting Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in New York next month did not come up in the deliberations and no opposition leader raised it.
However, leaders of major parties told reporters outside that they favoured a dialogue between the two countries saying problems can be resolved through discussions.
As regards the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO), he said the Left, RJD and Samajwadi Party expressed their opposition saying they had not been consulted on the matter. Congress President Sonia Gandhi told reporters later, “We are strongly opposed to this ordinance. It is a draconian measure. We cannot accept it”.
Prime Minister Vajpayee said in the meeting that India was firmly opposed to representation of Taliban in any future government in Afghanistan.
Besides Sonia Gandhi, prominent leaders who attended the meeting included Dr Manmohan Singh (Congress), Somnath Chatterjee (CPI-M), Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP), Mayawati (BSP), M P H Pandian (Aiadmk), K Yerrannaidu (TDP) and V K Malhotra (BJP). The government was represented by Union ministers L K Advani, Jaswant Singh, George Fernandes, Yashwant Sinha and Vijay Goel.
Bureau Report