'Fraternizing With Pak Journalists': Fresh Allegations Levelled Against Ex-VP Hamid Ansari By Senior Advocate
Hamid Ansari and his companions, according to Aggarwala, "were fraternizing with Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza at the Jama Masjid United Forum's Conference."
The BJP asked former Vice President Hamid Ansari on Friday to come clean over the fresh allegations made by Dr. Adish Aggarwala, chairman of the All India Bar Association, who claimed that Ansari and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh mentioned a different conference in their statements amid the scandal over a Pakistani journalist's claim, news agency ANI reported.
Adish Aggarwala stated that they "chose not to divulge" information about an international conference on terrorism, and that the government should launch an investigation into the incident since it "relates to national security and espionage."
Sharing the 'explosive' statement by senior Advocate, BJP's Amit Malviya on his official Twitter handle said that Ansari must explain.
Vice-President Hamid Ansari had desired that Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza be invited to the Conference. When Mirza was not invited despite his insistence, he felt offended…
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) July 14, 2022
Explosive statement countering Ansari’s attempts to conceal his association with the Pakistani spy. https://t.co/hBp1wxm8eW
Senior attorney Aggarwala claimed in a press release that former vice president and Congressman Jairam Ramesh had made reference to the International Conference of Jurists on International Terrorism and Human Rights, which took place on December 11 and 12, 2010, in Vigyan Bhavan, rather than the International Conference against Terrorism hosted by Jama Masjid United Forum, which took place at the Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi on October 27, 2009.
He said that Dr. Farooq Abdullah, the chairman of the National Summit, Hamid Ansari, and other Muslim leaders also attended the 2009 conference.
Hamid Ansari and his companions, according to Aggarwala, "were fraternizing with Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza at the Jama Masjid United Forum's Conference."
On Wednesday, the BJP had urged Ansari and the Congress to deny media allegations that Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza had been invited to India by Ansari. Mirza said that he had given Pakistan's ISI access to the data gathered during the trips.
Ansari said that the Bharatiya Janata Party's official spokesman and many media outlets have spread a long list of untruths against him.
“The statements made by Mr Hamid Ansari and 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. In order to unravel the truth, I reiterate that Mr Hamid Ansari and his friends were fraternizing with Nusrat Mirza at the Jama Masjid United Forum’s Conference,” he was quoted by ANI in its report.
Aggarwala stated that remarks were made in order to hide behind the Conference of Jurists in order to avoid questioning and inquiry.
He stated that Ansari attended the International Conference of Jurists on International Terrorism and Human Rights in 2010, but that Nusrat Mirza was not invited and did not attend. “Even Nusrat Mirza has not referred to this Conference in his interview,” he said.
“It is recalled that when the aforesaid Conference was being organized, an invitation to attend the Conference had been sent to Mr Hamid Ansari in his capacity as Vice-President of India. Mr Ashok Dewan who at that time was working as Director, Vice-President Secretariat had informed me that the Vice-President has desired that Pakistani journalist 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,” Aggarwala said.
“When Mr Dewan came to know that we have not invited Mr Mirza despite insistence of the Vice-President, Mr Dewan called me up the day before the conference and expressed displeasure of the Vice-President. He also informed me that Mr Hamid Ansari has felt offended and will now attend the inaugural ceremony for only twenty minutes although he had initially agreed to participate in the event for an hour. On the next day, Mr Ansari left the ceremony after twenty minutes itself as had been informed by Mr. Dewan,” he added.
According to Aggarwala, certain Congress officials are attempting to conceal Hamid Ansari's alleged meeting with Nusrat Mirza "by making insinuations and veiled claims on social media that Nusrat Mirza had attended the Conference held by me."
"Ansari may have been advised to shield himself behind the Jurists’ Conference as it is attended by Presidents, Prime Ministers, Chief Justices, Law Ministers including Presidents, Vice-Presidents and Judges of International Court of Justice, and follows all norms of the respective countries that host the conferences. The actual event where Mr Ansari and Mr Mirza participated together is not the Conference of Jurists as attempted to be portrayed by Mr Ansari and his supporters. The said event, which for obvious reasons Mr Hamid Ansari and Mr Jairam Ramesh withheld in their public statements, is the ‘International Conference against Terrorism’ organized by Jama Masjid United Forum," he said.
“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,” he said.
Hamid Ansari, according to Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza, invited him to India multiple times. He also claimed to have provided the Inter-Services Intelligence with secret and sensitive information.
(With Inputs From ANI)
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