COMMENT

CWC Condemns Terrorism, Extends Support
The Congress Working Committee met on 19th September, 2001 issued the following statement

The Congress Working Committee expresses its deep anguish and sorrow at the unprecedented devastation caused by the terrorist attacks on targets in the United States. Undoubtedly, these attacks are directed against all humanity and we share the pain and grief of US citizens and its leadership. We stand by the people of USA, particularly the families of the innocent victims of the dastardly acts, many of whom were people of Indian origin.

The CWC fully identifies itself with the sentiments expressed in the statement issued by the Congress president, Smt. Sonia Gandhi on 12th September, 2001.

The sense of revulsion and the urge to inflict sanction on the perpetrators of terrorist crime is understandable. India has experienced a very persistent terrorist movement against its sovereignty and its people. The Congress party in particular has paid a heavy price for its refusal to surrender to unwholesome ideologies and terror tactics that their exponents resort to. The Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi and two of India’s most outstanding leaders, Smt. Indira Gandhi and Shri Rajiv Gandhi were brutally assassinated. The scars of terrorism sponsored, aided and abetted from across the border are still writ large in several cities of India, even as the State of Jammu & Kashmir continues to suffer fresh onslaughts every day. We, therefore, know the pain and fully share the grief of the United States.

The global alliance against terrorism is long overdue. India can never accept terrorism being used as an instrument of State policy. We join the voice of sanity being heard everywhere in the world. The battle against worldwide terrorism has to be relentless and sustained. This battle has to be simultaneously backed by a total effort for peace in minds of the people everywhere. The Congress Working Committee expects that in combating the global terrorism, the world community will fully take into account India’s concerns and predicament in the face of sustained cross border terrorism.

We do not subscribe to the thesis of a civilizational conflict between Islam and the West. Not only is that a gross misunderstanding of our world, it is also an invitation for much greater and never ending conflict. The essence of all religions is to promote peace, harmony and goodwill and not violence, conflict and discord. This is the essence of India’s pluralistic ethos and India’s own experience of sustainable secular democracy is a living proof of this. We are distressed about the hate-crime incidents against people of Indian origin. The Government should also do its utmost to ensure the safety and dignity of our citizens and people of Indian origin living abroad.

The Congress Working Committee will support a broad based international coalition as envisaged in the Resolutions passed on 12th of September, 2001 by the UN Security Council and the General Assembly. The Congress Working Committee is of the view that any such international strategy must be credible, just, effective, sustainable and defensible in the eyes of International Law and world public opinion.

South Asia has emerged as a major centre of tension and conflict. It is also likely that any action that may be taken will be long drawn out. It is, therefore, imperative that the Government of India anticipates the likely fall out and the consequences, both international and national. Effective measures should be taken to safeguard our sovereignty, and our vital national interests. All the steps we take should be viewed against this backdrop.