international factors 177and the Palestinian leadership occurred only after President Nasser es-
tablished the PLO as an outlet for Palestinian nationalist aspirations. Be-
tween 1947 and 1964, India’s support for the Palestinians was expressed
through its overall pro- Arab policy and its closer ties with countries such
as Egypt. For nearly a de cade after the formation for the PLO, contacts
were few and progress slower. Following his visit to Cairo for the second
NAM summit, Lal Bahadur Shastri, India’s prime minister, hosted a
PLO delegation in November 1964.^56 In September 1969, al- Fatah, which
had since joined the PLO, sent a three- member delegation at the invita-
tion of the left- leaning Indian Association for Asian Solidarity. During
this visit, described as “private,” the Palestinians tried to establish offi cial
contacts with the Indian government and were eager to open a represen-
tative offi ce in New Delhi, but the latter was cautious and unenthusiastic.^57
The visit was a partial success, as the delegation managed to enlist the
support of Indian communists.
The communist parties played the same role for the Palestinians that
the socialists played for Israel— political lobbying. In August 1970,
Bhupesh Gupta of the Communist Party of India added two amend-
ments to the offi cial motion in the Rajya Sabha on international relations.
One called on the government “to extend its support to the struggle of the
Palestinian Arabs to return to their homeland and in par tic u lar, to the al-
Fatah which is leading this struggle.” His other demand was that al- Fatah
should “be allowed to open an information offi ce in New Delhi.”^58 Taking
cognizance of such sentiments, a few months earlier, the Indian govern-
ment declared that the PLO, “of which al- Fatah is the most widely known
constituent, is assuming growing importance as a po liti cal force. The or-
ga ni za tion has become more viable and eff ective due mainly to its success
in the unifi cation of their diff erent groups.”^59 In March 1970, the Indian
government depicted al- Fatah as “a secular or ga ni za tion fi ghting for the
liberation of Palestine.”^60
Around this time, the PLO was gaining international ac cep tance and
recognition. It was admitted to the NAM consultative meeting held in Bel-
grade in July 1969. Its status was somewhat confusing, as it attended the
meeting as a “participating country.”^61 In subsequent years, the PLO was
designated as an “observer.” At the Lima ministerial meeting in August
1975, the PLO once again became a “participant.”^62 It formally entered the
NAM as a full member at the Colombo summit in August 1976.^63 These
changes were refl ected in India’s postures. Referring to the participation of
the PLO in the Darussalam meeting in April 1970, Foreign Minister