Gaddafi likens his crackdown to India’s action in Kashmir

[sonicboom]

Gaddafi likens his crackdown to India’s action in Kashmir
Indrani Bagchi, TNN, Mar 5, 2011, 04.44am IST


Read more: Gaddafi likens his crackdown to India’s action in Kashmir - The Times of India Gaddafi likens his crackdown to India’s action in Kashmir - The Times of India


NEW DELHI: Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi told PM Manmohan Singh last week that his actions against his people in Libya were akin to India's actions against Kashmiris.

On the eve of the UN Security Council debate and vote against Libya on February 26, Gaddafi, in a missive to Singh, asked for India's support for his actions as civil war broke out in Libya.

The request for support came even as African and European countries, including Libya's UN envoy who defected to the rebels, made an impassioned plea in the Security Council to refer Gaddafi to the International Criminal Court. India voted for the UNSC resolution, which was passed unanimously.

Gaddafi has reportedly used airplanes to strafe his own people who are fighting to take Libya out of Gaddafi's control. According to some estimates, over 6,000 people have died in the fighting, which continues even after 10 days.

Gaddafi's mercurial character, though, was on full display on Libya's national day, which he celebrated earlier this week. In a five-hour address in Tripoli, he mentioned India at least five times, including saying that he would give future commercial contracts to Indian and Chinese companies and that he was very pleased with India's vote in the UN Security Council.

Gaddafi has rarely been a person India has been comfortable with. In September 2009, Gaddafi, in a 100-minute speech at the UN General Assembly, railed against India and Kashmir as well. "Kashmir should be an independent state, not Indian, not Pakistani. We should end this conflict. It should be a Ba'athist state between India and Pakistan," he said.


Read more: Gaddafi likens his crackdown to India’s action in Kashmir - The Times of India Gaddafi likens his crackdown to India’s action in Kashmir - The Times of India