India urges political solution to ethnic issue involving Tamil minority in SL

 

India on Monday expressed concern at the “lack of measurable progress” by the Sri Lankan government on its commitments regarding a political solution to the ethnic issue involving the island nation’s Tamil minority. 

Noting that India has always believed in the responsibility of countries to promote and protect human rights and constructive international dialogue and cooperation guided by the principles of the UN Charter, Pandey expressed the Indian side’s concern at the “lack of measurable progress by Government of Sri Lanka on their commitments of a political solution to the ethnic issue”. 

Such a political solution includes “full implementation of the 13th Amendment of the Constitution, delegation of powers to Provincial Councils and holding of Provincial Council elections at the earliest”, Pandey said. In recent years, India has taken up with the Sri Lankan side the issue of implementing the 13th amendment to Sri Lanka’s Constitution and holding elections to provincial councils to give greater autonomy to the Tamil minority. 

He noted that the current crisis in Sri Lanka has “demonstrated the limitations of the debt-driven economy” and said: “It is in Sri Lanka’s best interests to build the capacity of its citizens and work towards their empowerment, for which devolution of power to the grassroots level is a pre-requisite.”