NEW DELHI: The Indian Parliament retroactively changed the election laws on Tuesday [Aug 5] to wipe out statutes under which Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was convicted for her 1971 campaign tactics.

Most of the Indians were unaware of the action because of censorship. The amendments were designed to ensure victory for Mrs Gandhi in a Supreme Court battle where she is trying to get her June 12 conviction overturned to escape a mandatory penalty barring her from elective office for six years. ... The Government barred Indian newspapers from reporting that Mrs Gandhi would benefit from the amendments, or even from describing them. News agencies [Meanwhile, as reported by news agencies from Damascus,] An International Pan-Arab Congress of the ruling Baath Party of Syria has rejected peace with Israel or its recognition and called for the establishment of a unified Arab military command. A statement issued by the new international leadership of the party, elected at the Pan-Arab Congress last month, said the phased objective of the Arab nation was to liberate all occupied Arab territory and to recover Palestinian national rights. The Congress pledged to do its utmost `to foil attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause.