Re-Thinking On India’s Foreign Policy Urged

Wanganui Chronicle, 7 November 1950, Page 5

Re-Thinking On India’s Foreign Policy Urged

NEW DELHI, Nov 6 (Recd 11.44 pm).—lndian trade circles in Kakilpong suggested taht the Indian Government should immediately send a gooodwill mission to Lhasa for direct talks with the new Tibetan Government and should send a similar mission to Peking to discuss future Indian-Tibet trade. The Calcutta “Statesman,” the only British-owned and edited daily newspaper in India today, advocated a combined front of India, Pakistan and Burma against Chinese expansion. Emphasising that India has greater rights to Tibet than China’s declared interest, the “Statesman” appealed to the Nehru Government for “A realistic revision of general policy towards Red China.” It added that the Government would have public opinion behind it if it indicated with precision the specific Indian interests involved in Tibet. The Madras newspaper, “Hundu.” said the forcible imposition of a Communist regime in Lhasa would materially affect. India’s attitude towards Communist China and call for rethinking on India’s foreign policy in general. It added that India could not be indifferent to the presence of a large Chinese army in neighbouring Tib£t with whom it had friendly, poll, tical and economic relations. Leaders of the Indian Socialist Party also issued a statement appealing for a stronger attitude towards Chinese aggression in Tibet.