From: gnreddy@cbnewsf.att.com (G.Narotham Reddy)
Subject: Indo-Pak Relations Touch Another Nadir
Organization: AT&T
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 92 01:22:08 GMT


Source   : The CGI
Date     : December 29, 1992
Country  : India and Pakistan

Headlines:

* Pakistan to reduce strength of Indian Consulate General
* High Court reserves order on "Darshan"
* India and France to cooperate in defence 

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* Pakistan to reduce strength of Indian Consulate General

New Delhi - Dec 29: Pakistan in a drastic action today unilaterally
asked India to reduce the strength of its 64 strong consulate general
in Karachi by one-third, plunging the Indo-Pak relations to a new low.
	Coming in the wake of the Ayodhya developments, the Pakistani
action is expected to adversely hit visits by the Mohajir community to
India as the Karachi consulate-general on an average issued 700 Visas
per day.
	A spokesman of the Indian external affairs said here that
government was examining the implications of the Pakistani decision.
	India's consulate general in Karachi at present has a strength of
64, eight diplomats and 56 non-diplomats. Islamabad now wants the staff
strength to be reduced to a total of 20, four diplomats and sixteen
non-diplomats.
	the Pakistani action comes less than a month after it issued an
advisory to its people to avoid visiting India.
	The Indian consul-general in Karachi, Rajiv Dogra's official
residence was attacked and ransacked a day after the demolition of the
Babri mosque at Ayodhya.
	The spokesman said Pakistan's move would particularly affect the
people-to-people contact, especially between the families of the
Mohajir (Urdu speaking immigrants) community and their Muslim relatives
in India.
	"It is a measure aimed against that community. This the
culmination of a process of harassment aimed at the functioning of the
consulate-general over the past few years, reaching its most violent
heights with the ransacking and destruction carried out at the residence
of the consul general", he added.
	"It is now open to us to consider whatever response we feel is
required."
	The Indian High Commission in Islamabad issued about 300 Visas per
day besides about 700 given by the consulate-general in Karachi.
	In contrast, the total number of Visas issued by the Pakistan High
Commission in  New Delhi and the Consulate-general in Bombay total
about 40 to 50 per day.
	Pakistan opened its consulate-general in Bombay a few months back
with a skeletal staff of three or four officials. The strength of the
Pakistani High Commission here is 15 more than the number of Indian
diplomats and non-diplomats posted at Islamabad.

* High Court reserves order on "Darshan"

Lucknow - Dec 29: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court
reserved it's judgement on the writ petitions seeking darshan(visit) of
the disputed Ram temple at Ayodhya, after conclusion of arguments today.
	The bench, comprising justice H.N.Tilhari and Justice A.N.Gupta,
however, declined to pass any interim orders till the delivery of
judgemnet, as prayed by the counsel of the All India Nehru Brigade.
	Earlier, arguing on behalf of the state, the U.P advocate general
Shanthi Swaroop Bhatnager said that the writ petition was not
maintainable as it was filed on behalf of of a society and not by any
person for the enforcement of his fundamental rights.
	While concluding his arguments Bhatnager said since the
alternative remedy by way of suit or contempt proceedings under the
civil prodedure code  was available, the writ petition was not
maintainable.

* India and France to cooperate in defence 

New Delhi - Dec 29: India and France would hold talks on joint cooperation 
in defence when the visiting French Defence Minister Pierre Joux, calls
on his Indian counterpart, Sharad Pawar here Wednesday.
	The French defence minister, leading a high level delegation,
arrived in India on Saturday,
	He had already visited naval and air force establishments located
in Bombay and Bangalore. The minister also visited the Hindustan
Aeronautics premises in Bangalore.
	Joux arrived in New Delhi from Bangalore today evening would hold 
talks with Pawar on Wednesday.
	The French aviation consortium, Marcel Dassault, is in reckoning to
win the Indian contract for jet trainer aircraft. France has also
offered collaboration for development of sub-systems for the Indian Light
Combat Aircraft(LCA) project.

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