Two Former prime ministers today expressed divergent views on extending support to the US for a possible war on Afghanistan.
I. K. Gujral favoured giving all the necessary support and insisted that it was as much India's war. But V. P. Singh categorically opposed any logistical support to the American forces.
Singh said that at best, there could be intelligence sharing between the two countries. He asked the Government if it was sure that the US would support India's campaign against cross-border terrorism.
Speaking to the Hindustan Times, Gujral said India was already in a war-like situation against terrorism. "It is the US which is joining this war which India has been fighting over the years. So, this is also our war since we have been the worst victims of terrorism," he said.
A stand that was clearly at variance from that of his colleagues in the Peoples' Front, Gujral said there was no problem in helping the US defeat terrorism. "It is in India's interest to provide maximum facilities to end this terror. After all, if terrorist camps which breed anti-India militants are destroyed, this is in our national interest," he said.
Gujral disagreed with those asking the Government to tread carefully and said, "I am even ready to cooperate with the devil for ending terrorism in our country. A global coalition against terrorism is a vindication of India's stand that the world should come together against this menace."
But Singh didn't seem to agree. He was against any move to give military assistance to the US. This, he said, would undermine India's sovereignty and national interests. "Under no circumstances should the Government allow the use of our military bases, land or air space to foreign powers," he said. He expressed concern over media reports that Prime Minister A B Vajpayee and Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh had pledged unilateral support to the US.
Gujral said time and history have shown that Pak President Musharraf will finally have to "lay off Kashmir".
But, he said, it was in India's interest if Musharraf joins the war against the very forces (Taliban) that Pakistan had bred for the last several years.
Gujral felt that not much should
be read into Musharraf's India-bashing in his address to the nation, which
was aimed at his domestic constituency.