New Delhi Plans Tit-for-tat Measures Again Ameria - Politics - Nairaland
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| New Delhi Plans Tit-for-tat Measures Again Ameria by fredabrown: 7:59pm On Dec 18, 2013 |
[size=20pt]Anger brews over diplomat's arrest as New Delhi plans tit-for-tat measures against US [/size] It was about 4pm on Tuesday when cranes and policemen moved into Nyay Marg. Their objective was to remove the concrete barriers that seal the street off from the public, effectively creating an open-air corridor between the visa section and staff quarters of the giant US embassy in the Capital's diplomatic enclave. The removal of the barriers - a diplomatic privilege accorded by the host nation - put India on a course of confrontation with the US. No other embassy in the capital has enjoyed such a privilege; the Indian mission in the US certainly doesn't get such courtesies. India on Tuesday cracked the whip, bracing itself for a tit-for-tat approach on what many are calling the "bully" behaviour of the US in arresting and strip-searching senior Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade in New York last week. It was more than just Nyay Marg. Four Notes Verbales were sent to the US embassy in New Delhi, telling them of the steps being taken. State governments were told that all diplomatic cards would have to be surrendered by December 19. Officials have been told to ensure that no import proposals or quotas of liquor and food are cleared. In New Delhi, the embassy has been asked to furnish all tax returns and details of salary paid to employees, both foreign and local, and income tax authorities will be asked to scrutinise the returns. The airport passes of diplomats are being withdrawn. This is an unprecedented clampdown. The government is working on three broad points: to review the immunity of US diplomats, restrict their access to official meetings and top officials, and curb any preferred treatment that the diplomats have so far enjoyed as a strategic partner of India. [size=16pt]Outrage[/size] The government's response was clearly shaped by the growing outrage, with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi refusing to meet a visiting bipartisan US congressional delegation in protest. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi were briefed through the day on the issue. The government has assured Devyani's father that it will do all it can to bring her back. President Pranab Mukherjee expressed serious concern at the situation, spending most of his meeting with India's US ambassador designate S. Jaishankar on the treatment the Dalit officer has received in the US. Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, a Dalit, ensured swift action with the Delhi Police moving swiftly to remove the barricades. National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, a strong supporter of close ties with the US, called Devyani's treatment "barbaric", and Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh reviewed the situation with senior officials where a number of stern measures were discussed. Sources say that Plan A is to take immediate measures on restricting diplomatic privileges available to US diplomats in India. Washington will be persuaded through diplomatic channels to let Devyani travel back to India. "Either they drop the charges or she is expelled from the US. We are fine with either, but the bottom-line is that she has to be sent back to India soon," a senior official told Mail Today. If the US persists with its present course of action, Plan B may kick in. This will involve prohibiting the spouses of US diplomats and their kin working in India, besides intense scrutiny of staffers at the United States Information Service or American Centres in India, as well as screening of staffers working with the American school. Such is the sense of outrage that tit-for-tat treatment of a US consular official is also being considered, top officials privy to the discussions told Mail Today. A town hall meeting of IFS officers at South Block saw Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh being told by the officers present that US must be taught a lesson. |
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