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Journalism of Courage
While the Saddam regime fought a losing battle, Parliament at last passed a unanimous resolution deploring the US-led war on Iraq. The resolution in Hindi was read out by House Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.
Before the resolution was adopted, Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha said Pakistan was a more appropriate case for a pre-emptive strike if possession of weapons of mass destruction, export of terrorism and absence of democracy were the criteria. He also ruled out any role for a third party in resolving Indo-Pak issues.
Sinha said India had not come across any evidence to link Iraq with weapons of mass destruction or export of terrorism. ‘‘Therefore, we differed with many powers on this particular issue,’’ he said.
On Secretary of State Colin Powell’s remark that after being through with Iraq, the US would turn its attention to South Asia, Sinha said the only issue that India was discussing with the international community was that of cross-border terrorism.
Referring to the US state department spokesman’s remark that India should not consider any pre-emptive strike against Pakistan, Sinha said, ‘‘We should not be too sensitive about who is saying what.’’
