Indian human rights activist, Avdhash Kaushal, who has been invited by Sri Lankan President to join a panel of experts which will advise the Presidential Commission on missing persons and war crimes, will urge President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the minority Tamils to go for a compromise.

Kaushal told international media that he will urge the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Tamil people to go for a compromise. He added that “peace is the most important factor to a multi-national country like Sri Lanka.”

“The Lankan government is implementing the 13th constitutional amendment which devolves power to the provinces, but progress has hit the rocks because the Tamils want powers over the police”, he said.

The 77-year old Padma Shri award winner said that India had taken a “wrong approach” to Lanka because of the “Tamil Nadu factor”.   

Kaushal maintained that “Manmohan Singh made a big blunder by not attending the Commonwealth summit in Colombo, listening to Tamil Nadu politicians. It was not a bilateral meeting. I wrote to the PM expressing my displeasure,”

When it was pointed out that as per the terms of reference for the “experts”, they cannot do any research or make any suggestion on their own, and that they can tender advice only when the commission seeks advice, Kaushal said that he can offer suggestions to the President in a bid to solve the problem, though he cannot force him to accept the suggestions. (With inputs from The New Indian Express)