David Miliband

Too Long since the last visit to Delhi

I put this right tonight when I fly to Delhi for three days in India.  I will be in Delhi for meetings, and in Mumbai for a day to show solidarity with the people of that city and to reflect on what the Mumbai attacks tell us about terrorism and the so called 'war on terror' (it is not Al Qaeda that has made India a substantial terrorist target practically every month for the last 12).

I was last in India two years ago trying (not very successfully) to argue that India should put itself at the forefront of the campaign against climate change - what with melting glaciers in the Himalayas and people moving from Bangladesh.  Two years on the government of Manmohan Singh has significant achievements to its credit but now faces a huge challenge to find a way to engage with Pakistan after attacks whose planning finds a route back to nationals of that country.

This matters a lot to Britain - for our diaspora communities of Indian and Pakistani origin, but also for the region.  It is crazy if these countries cannot find a way to try and help each other.  I will try and blog en route and in situ.

Posted at 18:35 12 January 2009 by David Miliband  |  Comments[11]