Days after Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza made the startling revelation that former Vice president Hamid Ansari had invited him to a seminar on terrorism in 2010, Hamid Ansari refuted the allegations stating that he didn’t invite Nusrat. Meanwhile, the event’s organiser, Dr Adish Aggarwala, released a thorough explanation on the matter rubbishing Ansari’s defence in the controversy.

Both the All India Bar Association and the International Council of Jurists are chaired by him. Aggarwala reported that the aforementioned event took place between December 11 and 12 of 2010 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi in a press release on Thursday (July 14).

Dr Agarwal stated, “The then Vice-President Hamid Ansari had attended the conference but Nusrat Mirza was neither an invitee nor had he attended it. Even Nusrat Mirza has not referred to this conference in his interview.”

“Mr Ashok Dewan who at that time was walling as Director, Vice-President Secretariat had informed me that the Vice-President has desired that Pakistani journalist Mr Nusrat Mirza be invited to the Conference. However, we could not accede to the request since Mr Mirza was from Pakistan media and we had not invited judges or lawyers from Pakistan,” the statement read.

Dr Adish Aggarwala claims that Hamid Ansari informed Dewan that he would only stay for 20 minutes at the event. The former Vice President had initially committed to spending an hour at the event, but this turned out to be the case.

As co-author of a book on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the President of the International Council of Jurists claimed that some Congress politicians were trying to discredit him while making covert claims on social media that Mr Nusrat Mirza attended the conference that was hosted by him.

He stressed that Ansari and Mirza took part in the “International Conference against Terrorism,” which was hosted by Jama Masjid United Forum on October 27, 2009, at the Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi, rather than the Conference on Jurists.

Dr Aggarwal in his statement added, “It appears that Mr Hamid Ansari and Mr Jairam Ramesh chose not to disclose about the Jama Masjid United Forum’s Conference in order to mislead government agencies and the public. Possibly, they felt it appropriate to take shelter behind the Jurists’ Conference so that Mr Ansari receives a clean chit on scrutiny of records of the said Conference. The statements made by Mr Hamid Ansari, Mr Jairam Ramesh, and other Congress office bearers are manifestly distorted, wholly untrue, and deplorably dishonest. It is rather astonishing that a former Vice-President of the country would indulge in underhanded activity and then try to duck behind another unconnected event to lead the public astray.”

Dr Adish Aggarwala further emphasised that such seminars could not be held without approval from the Union government’s Home and Foreign Ministries.

Dr Aggarwal highlighted that whenever the President of India attends a gathering, the names of everyone sharing the dais must first be approved by the Vice-President of India or the Prime Minister of India. Therefore, it is evident that Mr Ansari had given his approval for the names of those who were on the dais that day.

Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza in an interview on July 10 claimed that he spied on India and gave the government the data he had collected during his visits there from 2005 to 2011. He took Hamid Ansari’s name stating that Ex VP invited him to the conference held in 2010.

However, Hamid Ansari threw the Congress-led government to the wolves stating that MEA decided on the guests who had to attend the conferences.

 

 

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