Indian Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has labeled the decision to send an Indian peacekeeping force to Sri Lanka in 1987 as a “mistake” in his newly published book, The India Way.
In the book, which has been translated into Sinhala as Indian Mawatha by the Pathfinder Foundation, Jaishankar addresses the longstanding ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, stating that the country posed a challenge for India from the outset. He explained that India aimed to facilitate a guaranteed solution to the ethnic issue but acknowledged that efforts went awry from the beginning.
While reflecting on the peacekeeping mission, Jaishankar noted, “Although India worked hard for the peacekeeping mission in Sri Lanka, it received less attention.” His remarks highlight the complexities and challenges of India’s involvement in Sri Lanka’s ethnic crisis, emphasizing that it was not a trivial step. As a prominent scholar in foreign affairs, Dr. Jaishankar’s insights shed light on the historical context of India’s intervention in Sri Lanka’s turbulent past.
