Intense engagement from New Delhi convinced Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa to commute the death penalty of the five Indian fishermen.
To begin with, the legal process was guided by the Indian High Commissioner Yash Sinha in Colombo. In addition, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is due to visit Sri Lanka in the next few months had also worked the phones, particularly with Foreign Minister GL Peiris, who is also a lawyer by training. At least two senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders are also understood to have sent direct messages to President Rajapaksa in the past few weeks.
Next, NSA Ajit Doval is believed to have conveyed the government’s intention to pursue the issue seriously.
In short, India maintained a 3-pronged approach: pursuing the legal process, reminding Sri Lanka of the 2010 bilateral agreement on transfer of sentenced prisoners, and keeping the channels flooded with messages from India to the Sri Lankan government.
It is significant that during this time, since the court verdict was handed down, TNA leader and Chief Minister Vigneswaran had visited Chennai, but was unable to secure a meeting with Prime Minister Modi in Delhi.
Sources tell The Hindu , that a meeting at that crucial point would have sent “the wrong message” to the
Sri Lankan government and was avoided.
Officials’ denial However Sri Lankan officials deny any such signal was given by them.
“I think you have to credit President Rajapaksa, who believes in good relations with India above all for the decision to free the fishermen. Even in the past he has taken such steps,” said former Presidential media advisor Bandula Jayasekara to The Hindu .
Finally, the call made by President Rajapaksa to Prime Minister Modi on November 9 to discuss their upcoming meeting at the SAARC summit proved the clincher.
Neither leader spoke publicly about the telephone call, but when asked pointedly, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin didn’t deny the phone call had taken place.
Sources also tell The Hindu that a last minute hiccup occurred, as defence lawyers filed an appeal in Sri Lankan courts just two days after Mr. Modi and Mr. Rajapaksa spoke. This would have made it imperative to wait for the legal process to finish before President Rajapksa could consider an appeal.
A last minute intervention at a political level is believed to have convinced the Ministry of External affairs to withdraw its appeal, thereby paving the way for the Sri Lankan president’s decision.
