BJP Vs. Hamid Ansari
It is really shocking and disgusting to know that the ruling BJP accused former Vice President Hamid Ansari of inviting to India a Pakistani Journalist who has claimed to have spied for the ISI. However, Mr. Ansari has dismissed the charge as a “litany of falsehood”. Mr. Ansari was the Vice President between 2007-17, including the period of 2014-17 when BJP was running the government.
Before that he had served as India’s envoy to several countries, including Iran and his work as ambassador and VP was at all times within the knowledge of the government of the day. It is a known fact that invitations to foreign dignitaries by the Vice-President of India are on the advice of the government generally through the Ministry of External Affairs.
The BJP leaders have touched the lowest levels of dignity while making allegations against a leader of the stature of Mr. Ansari who was a well-known diplomat and later Vice-President of the country. It seems that he has been targeted only because he belongs to the Muslim community.
Those targeting him, surprisingly, have more faith on the statement of a Pakistani journalist than the word of our own former VP. They also seem to be knowingly ignoring the plans of ISI to destabilise the peace and harmony in India.
The regime and its supporters must refrain from framing false allegations against persons who have held constitutional posts.
Sanjay Chopra
Mohali, Punjab
Ex-Bureaucrats’ Timely Advice to Attorney General
This refers to “Voice of dissent necessary: Ex-bureaucrats to AG” (Published in Telangana Today, Hyderabad, July 17). The 72 ex-bureaucrats’ advice to the Attorney General K.K. Venugopal is a wakeup call that has exposed how a double standard policy was adopted by the ruling BJP government in between Nupur Sharma’s blasphemous statement against the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and how the co-founder of Alt News journalist Mohammed Zubair’s 2018 tweet was deliberately altered and differentiated on the basis of caste, also being a Muslim who was sent to jail.
Is freedom of speech of an individual citizen to stand behind a particular religion of people to raise his voice against the wrongdoers who were involved in spreading hate speeches against the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the followers of Islam on the social media which are dangerous for a diverse society where people of different faiths and religions live together in harmony. I wonder how the hatemongers are roaming freely even though they were found guilty. I also wonder in a democracy, despite having liberty and freedom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution, the voices of the people are being crushed by the powers seems to be a dictatorship. However, the ex-bureaucrats’ timely advice to the Attorney General should be applauded.
Syed Amjad Ali
Secunderabad
Telangana State
An Israeli’s Entry into Holy Makkah?
An Israeli Jewish Gil Tamary has visited the Muslim’s holiest city of Makkah illegally with the help of a Saudi citizen, recently. The city has been banned for non-Muslims to enter. This incident has sparked widespread outrage. The Saudi guide has been arrested and will be prosecuted as per the Saudi official statement.
If Tamary had not released the video, nobody would have known the crime. He was dramatically forgiven for his criminal activities. However, he should be punished as per the Saudi law as early as possible. And there is negligence of airport authority.
Chowdhry Nisar Ahmed
Noorullah Pet, Ambur (T.N.)