New Delhi, March 24 (IANS) Minister of State for External Affairs Gen. (retd) V.K. Singh on Tuesday said his attending the Pakistan Day function was part of "diplomatic civility" and wondered what the brouhaha was about.
Speaking to Times Now news channel, V.K. Singh, a former army chief, made it clear that he was representing the government at the function held on Monday evening.
It was also attended by leaders of two factions of the Hurriyat Conference and some other separatist organisations from Jammu and Kashmir.
V.K. Singh said the Hurriyat Conference had been attending the event for the past about 20 years.
"For the last 20 years, Hurriyat (has been) part of Pakistan National Day (function). Has it happened for the first time?" he asked.
He said the government nominates a person for such events.
"The government nominated a person to attend. There is full stop after that. The government takes (such a decision) for all national days of all embassies (in India)," he said.
"There is diplomatic civility involved in it. Where is the question of questioning such things?" he said.
V.K. Singh's remarks to the TV channel came after a series of tweets he made on Monday evening under the hashtags 'duty' and 'disgust' created a controversy.
Under 'Duty', he wrote: "A task or action that a person is bound to perform for moral or legal reasons", "The force that binds one morally or legally to one's obligations", and "A job or service allocated".
Under 'Disgust', he posted: "To sicken or fill with loathing", and "To offend the moral sense, principles, or taste of".
As some sections of the media speculated that these tweets were a kind of unease of the minister who was asked by the government to attend the Pakistan Day event, V.K. Singh again posted: "'Disgust'ed to see how certain sections of the media are twisting this issue."
Congress leader Manish Tewari said on Tuesday that V.K. Singh should quit if he felt disgusted.
"If the minister is so disgusted with the double standards of the government on Pakistan... then he should have quit," Tewari told reporters.
He also tweeted that if the minister felt "disgusted with the double standards of his government on Pakistan he should quit? Other ministers in the past refused to attend Pakistan events".
V.K. Singh was at the Pakistan National Day event for about 10 minutes and talked to Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit.
Maharashtra Crisis: Will the Uddhav government have to prove the majority or not? Decision at five o'clock tonight
Maharashtra's political crisis is deepening. The Uddhav government seems to be badly trapped. Meanwhile, once again the matter has reached the Supreme Court. A petition was filed in the Supreme Court
Trump on Pahalgam Attack: PM Modi and the US President spoke on the phone, and promised support in the fight against terrorism.
US President Donald Trump has spoken to Prime Minister Modi over the phone. He expressed deep condolences on the death of innocent people killed in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
TMC MP called Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan a 'broker', BJP said- apologies
Trinamool Congress MP Kailash Banerjee on Tuesday accused Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan of acting as a 'broker' for the rich and criticized the Central government
PBKS vs SRH Dream 11 Prediction: These 11 players can make you rich, you can make this player the captain of your team
The 23rd match of IPL 2024 will be played between Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday in Mullanpur. Both Punjab and Hyderabad teams are in form at the moment as both have won their
Gyanvapi Case: Court's decision on the petition of the Hindu side regarding Gyanvapi, said- the matter deserves to be heard
The decision of the court has come on Thursday on the petition filed by Kiran Singh Bisen regarding the Gyanvapi case of Varanasi. It has been said by the court that this petition is worth hearing.
Champions Trophy: England announced the playing eleven for the match against Australia, A strong batsman made a comeback
The England cricket team has announced its playing XI for its first match of the Champions Trophy 2025. The match will be played against Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on 22 February.
The situation worsened in Pakistan, people of the country struggling with water shortages amid scorching heat
At present, Pakistan is surrounded by troubles. People living in many parts of the country including Sindh are facing severe heat. The temperature here has crossed 50 degrees Celsius. Along with this,
Bawaal Celeb Review: Celebs called 'Bawaal' the best performance of Varun Dhawan-Jhanvi Kapoor, liked this scene
Bawaal Celeb Review: Varun Dhawan and Jhanvi Kapoor's film 'Bawal' is about to release on OTT platform. The film is releasing on 21 July. A special screening of the film was held in Mumbai on
Bhuvan Bam: When a Pakistani user unfollowed him, Bhuvan Bam gave a befitting reply. Indian users said, 'Ek dil hai...'
Due to the increasing tension between India and Pakistan, many Pakistani people are unfollowing Indian influencers. Bhuvan Bam's name has also been included in this list. When a Pakistani user asked
Honor 9X Pro smartphone sale with Dhansu features today
new Delhi.
