This is the front page of The Indian Express published on July 12, 1984, Forty Years Ago.
Four non-Congress chief ministers and leaders of 19 opposition parties met on July 10 to condemn the undemocratic dismissal of former J&K CM, Farooq Abdullah. They also demanded the immediate removal of J&K governor Jagmohan and G M Shah’s “defector government”. The dissolution of the state assembly and fresh elections are also being called for.
Pakistan Denies Role
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Pakistan prime minister Zia-ul-Haq denies the role of Pakistan in training or arming any Sikh terrorists in Punjab. He also added that it was unfair to hold Pakistan accountable for India’s internal issues and chided Indira Gandhi for treating India’s neighbouring states as members of the union. He said, “My effort is to impress upon her that countries don’t interfere in each other’s relations.”
PM On IA Hijackers
Indira Gandhi in an interview said that she was unhappy with Islamabad’s decision to not return the hijackers of the Indian Airlines Airbus nor put them on trial. She also added that no Indian representatives were allowed to speak directly with the hijackers. Gandhi said that India had rejected all demands of the hijackers and was unclear as to what assurances they had been given by Pakistan.
No Entry For Jathas
The government will not permit entry of the shaheedi jathas of the Akalis into the Golden Temple complex. Security forces have been stationed to intercept the movement of the jathas at their places of origin. The state governor, K T Satarawala, and his advisors will be having a meeting to discuss a plan of action for the Akali threat — the jathas are sent to “liberate” the Golden Temple from the Army.
