CHOGM: Indian PM in Port of Spain, no meetings with Pak leaders

Indian Prime Minister reached Port of Spain to attend the 53-nation summit of CHOGM- commonwealth heads of government. His foreign minister S M Krishna reached ahead of him to attend the ministerial rounds. So did his Pakistan counterpart S M Qureshi.

Krishna and Qureshi met in Kabul last week when they were in the Afghan capital to attend the inauguration of Hamid Karzai’s second presidency. But they are unlikely to have a tête-à-tête in the West Indies.

Delhi has been unhappy with the lack of progress in bringing to book the perpetrators of 26/11’ the first anniversary of the mayhem was marked by solemn candle light get together and expression of anguish at Pakistan’s failure to bring to justice LeT chief Hafiz Saeed, other master minds and their handlers.

India is clear that it is not averse to talking with Pakistan at any level but any such talk should lead to tangible progress not only in the bilateral relations but also in bringing to an end to export of terrorism to the Indian soil.

Interestingly, while no meeting has yet been scheduled between Krishna and Qureshi, Pakistan also has not sought any meeting either.

Prime Minister Singh will miss his Pak counterpart, Gilani whom he had met on the sidelines of NAM summit in an Egypt port city in August. Gilani is not going to Port of Spain. President Zardari also has given a miss to CHOGM, asking foreign minister Qureshi to represent him.

Singh will however meet British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremanayake among other world leaders..

Shortly after his arrival in Trinidad, Prime Minister Singh interacted with the Indian community.

Excerpts from Singh address:

I am happy to be here in this beautiful country to participate in the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. The Commonwealth encompasses countries around the world where people of Indian origin have made a mark. In different and diverse countries you have successfully blended Indian culture and values with the local cultural and social environment.

In doing so, you have demonstrated the unique liberalism and pluralism of Indian civilization. This is what enables each one of us to adapt and adopt to new homes and new neighborhoods.

When I meet people of Indian origin around the world I celebrate our pluralism as much as I celebrate our great civilisational inheritance. Indianness is like a large and all-encompassing banyan tree. It offers shade to everyone who comes in search of it. It has deep roots at home and branches that in turn go to great distances and strike roots there.
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today’s India is on the move, just as the people of Indian origin are on the move. India is reaching out to the world with confidence and in a spirit of live and let live. In reaching out to People of Indian Origin, we are also reaching out to the world. You are, for millions of Indians, the most visible symbol of our own globalisation.

There is a fundamental difference between the globalisation of India and many other developing countries. For us, globalisation is a natural means of linking up with the international community of Indians. As I have often said, if there is one phenomenon in the world over which the sun truly never sets, it is the phenomenon of the global community of people of Indian origin.

It is often said that the 21st century will be the “knowledge century”. We in India are proud of our inheritance in this regard. Overseas Indians have played an extremely important role in global brand building in this respect. I was in the United States earlier this week and felt proud as an Indian to meet so many people of Indian origin doing so well in so many different walks of life. If India is today viewed as a “knowledge economy” it is because of the reputation that people of Indian origin worldwide have earned through their creativity and diligence.

India today seeks to tap the wellspring of Indian creativity and enterprise from around the world. Our ability to do so will depend on our ability to forge partnerships, on the one hand, and our ability to provide the proper environment for the flowering of such partnerships at home. Our Government is committed to cementing a new bond of mutually beneficial collaboration between India and people of Indian origin around the world.

I have often said that long before Indians crossed the seas as workers, they travelled the world as traders and teachers. Time was when the Indian gurukul system and our universities at Takshila, Nalanda and Nagarjuna, were the envy of the world. Even after independence, Indian colleges and universities continued to attract students from all over the world.

In the last twenty to thirty years, we have lost ground both because we failed to incentivise our institutions to become global players and because foreign universities became more aggressive in marketing. I am conscious of the fact that an important demand of the overseas Indian community is to secure access to educational opportunities in India. That is why our Government has been widening educational opportunities for people of Indian origin in India.

I know many of your children wish to experience the new India, having heard about an old India from their parents and grand parents. I want all those people of Indian origin who have never been to India to make a pilgrimage and discover the new India that is in the making.

I invite you to make use of the investment and business opportunities that India now offers. I invite you to be active partners of a new India and walk with us in finding new pathways of development and progress. I invite you to feel the love and affection of Mother India and feel the warmth of her embrace.

I also hope we can promote more tourism from India to these beautiful islands. Indians are now travelling around the world. I do think the Indian diaspora can emerge as a major global network for the tourism and travel trade. There are many people of Indian origin on the US mainland who would be happy to come to these islands for business and holiday. There are win-win possibilities in this kind of business activity.

Education and business are the two major arenas through which we are reconnecting with people of Indian origin worldwide. But the cornerstone of our interaction remains our shared culture – both ancient and modern. I would like to see that children of people of Indian origin get opportunities wherever they are living to learn classical Indian dance and music. At the same time we must expand modern means of satellite based communication so that Indian film, music and television can reach your homes.

-Asian Tribune-