India refuses asylum to Snowden

India became the first among 21 countries to turn down Edward Snowden’s plea for asylum. India thus effectively distanced itself from the controversy though it was among those singed by the surveillance programme of the National Security Agency of the United States that was exposed by Mr. Snowden. Eight other countries said the application was not valid as it had to be submitted on their soil.

Mr. Snowden withdrew a request to Russia after Moscow said he would not be permitted to criticise the U.S. India rejected the application, which was among a bunch of 21 submitted by WikiLeaks legal adviser Sarah Harisson to the Russian consulate at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport where Mr. Snowden is living in the transit zone.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Mr. Salman Khurshid played down reports of India being the fifth largest target of the U.S. snooping programme. He repeated virtually what U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said while defending the Prism programme during his India visit last month. He said that, this is not scrutiny and access to actual messages. It is only computer analysis of patterns of calls and e-mails that are being sent. It is not actually snooping on specifically on content of anybody's message or conversation.

The high-speed Indian response to Mr. Snowden’s request led to wry smiles and comments on the Twitter. Strategic analyst Mr. Brahma Chellaney tweeted that,

ü     “India has traditionally provided political refuge to many a figure. Yet its otherwise slow-moving govt rejects Snowden's plea in record time’’

ü     “If the hallmark of Obama presidency will be ‘Yes we scan,’ the legacy of the Indian government that spurned Snowden's plea is ‘Yes we scam’”.

Mr. Khurshid’s comments are a much toned-down version of what officials have said and felt about Mr. Snowden’s revelations in which India figures as the fifth most tracked country in a U.S. Internet data mining project. Not only were American officials apprised of Indian annoyance, officials had termed the targeting of India unacceptable.

Once Iran President called US as an international bully. This incident proves that is true. This incident is also a warning for all the governments of the world.

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Perhaps our so-called 'national leaders' in India can learn as to how to grow a spine from the leaders of these smaller countries (Latin American).

Political class, civil society, experts slam Khurshid:-

The government, particularly External Affairs Minister                  Mr. Salman Khurshid, has come under fire for asserting that United States’ surveillance activities did not amount to “snooping” and it was “only computer analysis of patterns of calls and e-mails sent.” From the left and the right of the political spectrum, from supporters of a “special” India-U.S. relationship to its critics, there was an almost unanimous view that the government had gone too far to “appease the U.S.”

  

Various Leaders slam Mr. Khurshid’s remarks on U.S. Snooping
BJP leader Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad	The Government of India must “come clean” and share all available facts with the rest of the political parties. “Any surveillance of Indian systems is uncalled for. The BJP is for good relations with U.S., but our sovereignty and self-respect is non-negotiable.” Mr. Prasad rejected the distinction between surveillance and snooping as fiction, and pointed to the “palpable disconnect between different ministers.”
CPM Polit Bureau member Ms. Brinda Karat	U.S. actions are “cyber-driven invasion of sovereignty”. This is a craven statement of a craven minister of a craven government. Even the allies are objecting, but this government is justifying what is a clearly illegal act, in violation of U.N. conventions
Mr. D. P. Tripathi (NCP)	The government should take this up at a diplomatic level. It must also create a strategy against any possible cyber surveillance. This has not been done yet
Aam Aadmi Party	Statement showed the government’s “subservience to the U.S. and its contempt and disregard for civil liberties and citizen’s rights to privacy.” It rejected the contention that the surveillance had helped prevent terror attacks.
Commodore (Retd) C. Uday Bhaskar {Strategic Affairs Expert & a strong supporter of India-US ties}	Clear disconnect b/w the Minister and the Ministry. This government is in dire need of strategic communication within south block
Mr. Pushpesh Pant (Retd) Prof of JNU, Delhi	Mr. Khurshid is being much more economical than truth than is acceptable in a democracy, and crawling when asked to bend.

 Related Links:-
Electronic Snooping by U.S.: India in Top 5

Snowden effect: Bolivian President hijacked for '13 hours'

Edward Snowden: a threat to U.S.?

Edward Snowden: a timeline of events