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Appealing to the world community to join together to rid the world of “the cancer” of religious extremism, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said in London early on Sunday that “this terrorist incident, inspired by religious extremism, reminds us of the common responsibility”.
Mr Vajpayee's comments in London, before he boarded a plane home at the end of his three-nation European tour, came within hours of his explicit and strongly voiced criticism of “Western double standard” on terrorism.
Commentators said Saturday's suspected Al Qaida attack on Ball, which is home to a predominantly Hindu culture in the world's most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia, appeared chillingly to chime with Mr Vajpayee's own deeply felt reservations about the US-led, UK backed so-called war on terror.
Late on Saturday, Vajpayee had said in an otherwise relaxed and friendly speech to a glittering central London crowd of 600 British Indian MPs, peers, industrialists and community leaders that “the problem is Western countries see their own terrorism better and do not see our terrorism as quite so serious”.
Mr Vajpayee's criticism of the West came even as he diplomatically described his discussions in most of the places he had visited in the last six days-Cyprus, Den. mark and Britain-m “successful” and “centred on the issue of terrorism”.
He said his talks with his British counterpart Tony Blair revealed “a happy convergence of views on most matters”.
But commentators said it was significant
that despite India's diplomatic, officially gracious acceptance of British
and European Union condemnation of “cross-border terrorism”, Mr Vajpayee
made his unqualified criticism of Western double standard in the heart
of the British capital, straight after an 80-minute meeting with Mr Blair.
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