40 years ago September 21, 1986: Global trade talks

In 1986, international trade ministers from over 70 countries gathered in Punta Del Este to kick off a new round of global trade negotiations. This declaration, proposed for adoption, outlined the separate discussions on goods and services. A trade negotiations committee was established to oversee these talks, with its inaugural meeting set not later than October 31.

Notably, the agreement made a clear distinction between negotiations on trade of goods, governed by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and those on trade in services, which would be handled by ministers. Trade minister Jyoti Basu cautioned Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to exercise caution in his statements regarding the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) movement.

This advice came in the wake of a statement by the Prime Minister declaring that the GNLF movement was not anti-national but tied to the issue of citizenship. The latter news elicited strong reactions in Darjeeling, with supporters bursting crackers and organizing torch processions in support of the GNLF.

Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, the Home Secretary, Douglas Hurd, announced the deportation of Amanullah Khan, a Kashmir separatist leader residing in Britain. Khan, a 50-year-old Pakistani, was arrested a year prior along with five other Kashmiris in a crackdown on militants living in the country. The Home Secretary justified the expulsion as being in the public interest, though he did not provide further details.

Khan, who was 55 at the time, faced deportation despite his status as a long-term resident in Luton, a town 55 kilometers north of London.