Ansari: Never Knew, Invited Pak Journalist Mirza To Any Conference

Former Vice President Hamid Ansari has again asserted that he “never knew or invited Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza to any conference” amid fresh claims that they had attended an event against terrorism organised by Jama Masjid United Forum in 2009.

A statement issued by the office of the former Vice President of India said that he stands by his earlier statement.
“Former Vice President of India stands by his earlier statement that he never knew or invited Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza to any conference including 2010 conference mentioned by Nusrat Mirza or the 2009 conference on terrorism or on any other occasion,” the statement said.

Adish C Aggarwala, Chairman, All India Bar Association, alleged on Thursday that Hamid Ansari and his friends “were fraternizing with Mirza at the Jama Masjid United Forum’s Conference”.

The BJP had on Wednesday asked Ansari and the Congress to come clean on media reports about claims Nusrat Mirza that Ansari had invited him to India. Mirza claimed that he had shared the information collected during the visits with Pakistan’s ISI.

Ansari had said that a litany of falsehood had been unleashed on him personally in sections of media and by the official spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party.

Aggarwala said in his statement on Thursday that Ansari wanted to invite the Pakistan journalist to a conference on international terrorism and human rights in 2010 and conveyed his “displeasure” when it was not done so.

Aggarwala, who was an organiser of the conference, said the then Director of Vice President Secretariat had informed him that the Vice-President has desired that Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza “be invited to the conference”.

Aggarwala said they could not accede to the request and the official called him up a day before the conference and “expressed displeasure of the Vice-President”.

“He (the official) 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,” Aggarwala said in his statement.

Amit Malviya, in-charge of BJP’s national Information and Technology Department also referred to Aggarwala’s statement and said Ansari has to explain.

Malviya said in a tweet that the statement talks of former Vice President “putting up spurious defence to conceal ties with Pak Spy Nusrat and to malign the PM”.

“Hamid Ansari and Nusrat Mirza attended an event against terrorism organised by Jama Masjid United Forum in Oberoi Hotel Delhi in Oct 2009… Ansari has to explain,” Malviya said.

Aggarwala said on Friday that some incorrect remarks have been made about him.

“Former VP Hamid Ansari and Congress leaders said that we invited Pakistani journalist (Nusrat Mirza), it’s factually incorrect. We neither invited him nor he attended conference. It was other conference organised by another organistaion,” he said.

“It was another international conference on terrorism organised by Jama Masjid United Forum on 27 Oct. He (Nusrat Mirza) was on the dais and the VP Hamid Ansari was also there on the dais,” he added. (ANI)