Jethmalani attacks NAM, Panchsheel

Senior lawyer and former Union Law Minister Ram Jethmalani on Saturday ruffled feathers by terming the Non-Aligned Movement and Panchsheel as "evil" in the presence of President Pratibha Patil and several international dignitaries, but the government quickly responded by rejecting his views.

Senior lawyer and former Union Law Minister Ram Jethmalani on Saturday ruffled feathers by terming the Non-Aligned Movement and Panchsheel as "evil" in the presence of President Pratibha Patil and several international dignitaries, but the government quickly responded by rejecting his views.

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"Non-alignment is evil, Panchsheel is evil. You have to align with forces of good to combat the forces of evil...India and its foreign ministers must learn to reassess the doctrines of past," he said addressing the two-day International Conference of Jurists on International Terrorism that began on Saturday.

He said India's foreign policy establishment should be courageous to shun country's relationships with its enemies.

Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily responded saying that India's commitment to NAM "would not be shaken by any country or any individual. Views expressed by my senior colleague Mr Jethmalani are not the views of the government. And we entirely disagree with the views expressed by him."