Any move by the government to revisit the 1974 India-Sri Lanka agreement on Katchatheevu island could have a broader diplomatic impact on India’s ties in the region and raise questions about other bilateral negotiations, warned former diplomats. Most also questioned whether External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s comments in a press conference on Monday on “ceding” Katchatheevu island, and finding a “solution” for the situation indicate a shift in the Ministry’s position as outlined in a number of parliamentary replies over the past decade, submissions in the Supreme Court, and Right to Information (RTI) responses that categorically denied there had been a “ceding” or “acquisition” of territory in the 1974 agreement.
According to former National Security Adviser (2010-2014) Shiv Shankar Menon, reopening the half-century-old agreement by the government could be a “self-goal”.
Also read: Katchatheevu | What is the controversy all about?
