Patil; Jethmalani at the conference

New Delhi, Nov. 21: Lawyer Ram Jethmalani today blamed the Wahabi sect for Islamic terrorism, prompting the Saudi Arabian ambassador to walk out of an international conference before President Pratibha Patil and law minister Veerappa Moily helped smooth ruffled feathers.

Moily, who spoke soon after Jethmalani, said the former law minister’s remarks reflected his personal views.

In his speech at an international jurists’ meet here today, Jethmalani said “Wahabi terrorism” indoctrinated young minds with “rubbish”, sending delegates at the two-day conference on global terror into a tizzy.

Saudi Arabia practises the rigid Wahabi version of Islam as opposed to the more liberal Sufi version followed in the subcontinent, though Pakistan has turned to the Wahabi version in the post-Partition years.

Jethmalani, speaking as president of the All India Senior Advocates Association, also rued that India had close ties with nations that supported Wahabi terrorism.

His comments didn’t go unnoticed. Saudi ambassador Faisal al-Trad left the conference soon after, though the organisers later claimed he came back after Moily’s clarification.

Possibly sensing Al-Trad’s disquiet, Patil and Moily, who were on the dais, were seen exchanging notes. The President had already spoken, so it was left to Moily to save the day for the Centre.

“Respecting the pluralistic nature of our democratic republic has always been our first priority, hence we have always refrained from irresponsible reactions to acts of terror,” the minister said. “In spite of being a victim of major terrorist attacks, India still continues to be a torchbearer for peace, development and inclusive growth.”

The drama over Jethmalani’s remarks overshadowed Patil’s speech in which she had taken a not-so-subtle dig at Pakistan. “Countries must individually own up responsibilities, as must the international community, in collectively defeating terrorism and not deflect responsibility onto non-state actors,” Patil said.

India, she said, had zero tolerance for terrorism. “No idea, no cause whatsoever, can justify terrorism,” she added. “Questions like ‘good’ or ‘bad’ terrorism should not be entertained, for such distinctions are coloured and tainted by bias, prejudice and narrow thinking.”

To be fair to Jethmalani, he didn’t spare other religions either. It was unfortunate that Islam as a religion was being blamed for terrorism, he said. “There are also Hindu terrorists and Buddhist terrorists,” he added in the same breath.

But the damage had been done, till Moily’s damage control. Another delegate, a judge of the International Court of Justice, criticised Jethmalani’s remarks. “No one should make such sweeping remarks,” Awn S. Al-khasawneh said.

Jethmalani must also have irked the foreign policy establishment when he trashed as “evil” two cornerstones of India’s foreign policy for over 50 years — the Non-Aligned Movement and Panchsheel, a series of agreements with China.

“India and its foreign ministers must learn to reassess the doctrines of the past…. India’s foreign policy establishment should be courageous (enough) to shun the country’s relationships with its ‘enemies’,” he said.

Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan said all terrorist attacks should be tackled with a firm hand by nations collectively.

“Knee-jerk responses such as clamping down on civil liberties or a spate of arbitrary arrests and increased surveillance over citizens can prove to be counter-productive,” he said.