Foreign Affairs | ‘India will intervene if LTTE puts down arms’
Foreign Affairs | ‘India will intervene if LTTE puts down arms’
Chennai: Putting the onus on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for halting the Sri Lankan military offensive in the north of the island nation, home minister P. Chidambaram has said if the outfit laid down arms, India would intervene and arrange for a negotiated settlement to the vexed ethnic issue.
“Our (Congress) policy is clear. LTTE is an armed militant group. They must announce that they are willing to lay down arms and are prepared for talks. Simultaneously, the Sri Lankan government should suspend its military offensive," he told a public meeting organized by the party here on Sunday night.
“Indian government will definitely arrange for a dialogue if the LTTE lays down arms and came forward for talks. A good solution can be found to the 40 lakh Tamils in Sri Lanka," he said asking the Congressmen to carry this message to every nook and corner of the state.
Chidambaram’s comments came at a time when several pro-LTTE parties and outfits in Tamil Nadu are demanding immediate ceasefire in Sri Lanka and accusing the state and Central governments of “failure" to ensure safety of civilian Tamils caught in the ongoing war.
—PTI
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Parts of NW Pakistan to impose Islamic law
Peshawar: The government agreed to impose Islamic law and suspend a military offensive across a large swath of North-West Pakistan on Monday in concessions aimed at pacifying a spreading Taliban insurgency there.
The announcement came after talks with local Islamists, including one closely linked to the Taliban.
The move will likely concern the US, which has warned Pakistan that such peace agreements allow Al Qaeda and Taliban militants operating near the Afghan border time to rearm and regroup.
Amir Haider Khan Hoti, chief minister of the North West Frontier Province, said authorities would impose Islamic law in Malakand region, which includes the Swat Valley.
—AP
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