<p>Though Beijing issued demarches to all countries asking them to boycott the event, the Indian Embassy in Oslo has conveyed to the Norwegian Nobel Committee that its representative would attend the Peace Prize Ceremony at the Oslo City Hall. So did embassies of 43 other countries, according to a press release posted on the committee’s website. <br /><br />Pakistan, however, is one of the 18 countries that have declined the invitation to attend the ceremony, obviously taking note of the demarche from Beijing. <br /><br /> Russia, too, is unlikely to be represented in the ceremony. Moscow, however, claimed that it would not be represented, not due to pressure from Moscow, but only because its envoy to Oslo would not be present in the Norwegian capital on Friday.<br /><br />India appeared to be in a dilemma for several days after receiving the demarche from China, particularly because the event was being held just a few days before Chinese premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to New Delhi from December 15 to 17. <br /><br />Both New Delhi and Beijing were looking forward to the visit to ease some wrinkles in the complicated bilateral relation that got further strained over Chinese insistence on stapled visa for people from Jammu and Kashmir, denial of visa to a senior military officer posted in the state and its assistance to projects in Pakistani-occupied Kashmir.<br /><br />Sources on Tuesday said the government, however, had decided to ignore the demarche from Beijing after taking note of the responses from the US and other major powers to the invitations from the Norwegian Nobel Committee. <br /><br />New Delhi is understood to have felt that India’s image as a frontline champion of peace, democracy, human rights and civil liberty worldwide would take a beating if it decided not to send its representative to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.</p>
<p>Though Beijing issued demarches to all countries asking them to boycott the event, the Indian Embassy in Oslo has conveyed to the Norwegian Nobel Committee that its representative would attend the Peace Prize Ceremony at the Oslo City Hall. So did embassies of 43 other countries, according to a press release posted on the committee’s website. <br /><br />Pakistan, however, is one of the 18 countries that have declined the invitation to attend the ceremony, obviously taking note of the demarche from Beijing. <br /><br /> Russia, too, is unlikely to be represented in the ceremony. Moscow, however, claimed that it would not be represented, not due to pressure from Moscow, but only because its envoy to Oslo would not be present in the Norwegian capital on Friday.<br /><br />India appeared to be in a dilemma for several days after receiving the demarche from China, particularly because the event was being held just a few days before Chinese premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to New Delhi from December 15 to 17. <br /><br />Both New Delhi and Beijing were looking forward to the visit to ease some wrinkles in the complicated bilateral relation that got further strained over Chinese insistence on stapled visa for people from Jammu and Kashmir, denial of visa to a senior military officer posted in the state and its assistance to projects in Pakistani-occupied Kashmir.<br /><br />Sources on Tuesday said the government, however, had decided to ignore the demarche from Beijing after taking note of the responses from the US and other major powers to the invitations from the Norwegian Nobel Committee. <br /><br />New Delhi is understood to have felt that India’s image as a frontline champion of peace, democracy, human rights and civil liberty worldwide would take a beating if it decided not to send its representative to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.</p>
