US congress hails 50th anniversary of Independence
C K Arora in Washington
In an unprecedented move, a United States congressional
panel on Thursday night unanimously adopted a resolution congratulating
India and Pakistan on the 50th anniversary of their
Independence.
It also announced that a delegation of Congressmen, led by House
Foreign Relations Committee chairman Benjamin Gilman, a Republican
from New York, will visit New Delhi and Islamabad to participate in
the 50th anniversary celebrations of the two countries.
The delegation will leave for the subcontinent on August
7.
A suggestion was made that President Bill Clinton should take
time off and make a special visit to the two countries on this
occasion. Though the president had expressed a desire to visit South
Asia, the White House has not yet drawn up any programme.
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has already
announced her decision to visit the two countries this year, but her
programme too has not been finalised.
The resolution was adopted by the Asia-Pacific Subcommittee of
the House International Relations Committee. Among its sponsors
were House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Gilman and Democratic
Congressman Lee Hamilton.
Earlier, subcommittee chairman Douglas K Bereuter (Republican)
said the resolution was preceded by an unseemly controversy in
which an objection was raised to the clubbing of the two countries
for the purpose of felicitations.
Supporters of the two countries wanted a separate resolution for
the two South Asian rivals.
He said he had no objection to Indian-Americans or Pakistani-Americans
trying to seek an amendment to the resolution. What he
disliked most was an attempt by a foreign official trying to give a
shape to the resolution before it was moved. ''We have to resist
such an unusual interference,'' he added.
He, however, did not identify the foreign official.
Bereuter said his panel had made a ''conscious decision'' to
go ahead with the resolution because of ''our conscious decision to
improve the US relations with India and Pakistan and also help the
two nations to improve their bilateral ties.''
UNI
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