HVK Archives: Queen's visit on no apology: daily
Queen's visit on no apology: daily - The Indian Express
Anjali Mody
()
25 August 1997
Title: Queen's visit on no apology: daily
Author: Anjali Mody
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: August 25, 1997
Despite the recent controversy and the reservation expressed by Prime
Minister I K Gujral, according to The Sunday Telegraph newspaper, the Queen
will visit Amritsar. The paper said that the British and Indian officials
"have agreed a formula to enable the Queen to visit Amritsar without having
to make an apology for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre." The Queen will
not apologise for the massacre, but she will spend time at the site. She
is to lay a wreath and observe a minute's silence as a mark of respect.
The paper quoted a Buckingham Palace official saying that the publicity
surrounding the visit to Amritsar had put the process of finalising the
programme on hold.
The official said, "It would he very difficult for her not to go now," and
added, "Monarchs don't apologise for something that happened nearly 100
years before. 'here is no precedent for it."
A Palace spokesperson said on Sunday that the newspaper report was
"somewhat premature".
He added that the details of the Queen's visit were yet to be finalised.
She said that the Queen would be following the advice of the Indian
government and the foreign office.
In an Interview to The Observer newspaper last Sunday Gujral indicated that
it had been that the Queen skip Amritsar, given the strong feelings aroused
by those who feel the British owe India an apology for Jallianwala Bagh
massacre.
Sikh leaders in Britain and India, however, said that this was neither here
nor there.
They said they would welcome the Queen to Amritsar and the Golden Temple.
Subsequently, the Prime Minister had said that the Queen was free to go
wherever she wanted.
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