With the opposition seeking to corner it, the Indian government on Tuesday condemned the meeting that an Indian journalist had with Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed and said it has sought a report from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad about whether they were aware of this.
The issue rocked both Houses of Parliament for the second day on Tuesday with opposition raising questions over the meeting of the journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik, known to be close to BJP supporter and yoga guru Ramdev, claiming that “revelations” are coming out day by day.
The issue led to disruptions and several adjournments in both House since Monday when the news reports about the meeting emerged.
“The Government of India totally disapproves of this meeting of Ved Pratap Vaidik… The government condemns this meeting with the chief accused of Mumbai terror attack,” External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told the Rajya Sabha. She insisted the government has nothing to do with it and “nothing to hide”. A full report has been sought from the Indian High Commission in Pakistan and it will be shared with the House, she promised.
Her response came as opposition members attacked the government over the meeting, saying its silence is intriguing and questioned how the Indian mission in Islamabad was not aware of it. Members also wanted to know if any action would be taken against Vaidik.
In the Lok Sabha, Swaraj said government has nothing to do with the journalist meeting India’s one of the most-wanted terrorists in Pakistan recently.
“Allegations that the government facilitated the journalist’s meeting with Hafiz Saeed is false and baseless,” Swaraj said.
“I am saying with full responsibility and very categorically and unequivocally that the government is in no way associated with this meeting.
“Neither did he (Vaidik) while going to Pakistan, nor after going there, inform us that he was meeting Hafiz Saeed. This is purely a private visit and a personal meeting,” she said.
