By Ranjana Narayan, IANS,
New Delhi : India would like to strengthen ties with North Korea and it is time the reclusive communist nation came out of its isolation, says BJP leader Tarun Vijay who was part of a three-member parliamentary delegation from India to attend a massive military parade held in Pyongyang to mark the 60th anniversary of a truce that ended the Korean War.
Besides Vijay, Communist Party of India-Marxist Rajya Sabha member Sitaram Yechury and Muhammed Hamdullah Sayeed of the Congress, were part of the team sent by India to attend the July 27 parade that saw North Korea showcase its missiles, armoured carriers, tanks and its military might.
The lavish parade through Pyongyang’s main square and another event at a stadium, where 20,000 performers showed off their skills in acrobatics, trapeze and cultural dances, left the three Indian MPs impressed. The last time any Indian official went to North Korea to participate in an event was Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, then minister of state in the information and broadcasting ministry in 1988 to attend the 6th Pyongyang Film Festival.
“We would like to strengthen relations with North Korea, but it can’t be a one-sided wish. North Korea should come out of its militarised shell and follow the UN conventions and resolutions, especially in reference to its nuclear ambitions,” the BJP leader, who is a member of the parliament’s Consultative Committee on External Affairs, told IANS in an interview.
North Korea is facing tough economic sanctions from the US and the UN over its its pursuit of nuclear and missile tests.
Vijay said he had taken the “message of the Buddha and Gandhi to North Korea” and spoken to the leaders. “They listened to us, and we said the message of Buddha and Gandhi can act like a bridge and we would very much like North Korea to join the mainstream of international growth
“I wish their highly perfected levels of intelligence and acumen is used for economic prosperity and a peaceful coexistence, ending their painful isolation. The issues of their military help to Pakistan and obsession with nuclear goals must be addressed in favour of better relations with the us,” Vijay said.
Among the foreign dignitaries present were from Syria, some of the African countries and Pakistan said Vijay. None of the dignitaries were allowed to take in their mobiles or cameras to the event.
“On the one hand we had this picture perfect militarised society, and on the other hand a state paranoid about security.. We were not allowed to take our cameras or mobiles for the performance,” said Vijay. They had no internet in their hotels either, and so could not access their mails for the four days.
hey got internet access at the residence of the Indian ambassador Ajay Kumar Sharma. According to Vijay, there are just 15 Indians in North Korea, including people working in the Indian mission. The Indian mission had to “pay exorbitantly” for the single internet connection, he says.
Gautam Bambawale, joint secretary East Asia in the ministry of external affairs, and Vijai Kumar, deputy secretary in the same department, had visited Pyongyang for Director General-Level talks April 3-6, 2013.
North Korea is ruled by the third-generation leader, Kim Jong Un, who took over power in December 2011 after the death of his father Kim Jong-il. He is said to be in his early 30s. The impoverished country conducted its third nuclear test in February 2013, prompting stiffer UN sanctions against it. There are reports it is planning another nuclear test.
China, which is Pyongyang’s major diplomatic ally, has urged Pyongyang to take steps to end its nuclear programme and to return to dialogue.
(Ranjana Narayan can be contacted [email protected])