Opinion September 9, 1982, Forty Years Ago: Sheikh Abdullah Dies

Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah died on September 8 after valiantly fighting for his life following a prolonged illness. An ambulance carrying his body was taken from his residence to his private office. His eldest son, Farooq Abdullah, was sworn in as acting chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir  Immediately after the swearing in, Farooq Abdullah presided over a Cabinet meeting.

Indo-France Talks

The talks between India and France concluded without resolving their differences on the proposed supply of French nuclear fuel for the Tarapur atomic power plant. The Indian delegation told the visiting French officials that to receive enriched uranium from France, India would not accept any fresh safeguards. India has made it plain that it cannot accept the “pursuit” or “perpetuity” clauses being insisted upon by the French.

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Foreign Borrowing

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee stunned the foreign press by telling them that the eventual cost to India of one years shift of part of the borrowing from IDA to the World Bank would be $2.2 billion. So India could not go on with this kind of financing.

Arab Peace Talks

Arab heads of state meeting in the eastern Moroccan city of Fes agreed on a West Asia peace plan,  based on Saudi and Tunisian proposals. The Tunisian proposal is based on the 1947 UN decision to create separate Arab and Jewish states.

Soviet Leader Dies

Nikolai Y Suslov, a leading communist official in Leningrad and member of the central committee, died in an automobile crash.