Indian reporters not allowed into SAARC meet venue in Pak: HM

Pakistani authorities did not allow entry of Indian mediapersons, including those from PTI and Doordarshan, inside the venue of 7th SAARC Home Ministers Meeting in Islamabad, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today.

Responding to questions in Rajya Sabha after making a suo motu statement on yesterday's conference, the Minister also said that after the meeting was over, Pakistan's Home Minister, who was the host, invited the participants for lunch but left in a car soon thereafter.

"Keeping in mind the country's prestige, I did what I should have done. I have no complaints. I had not gone there for lunch," he said amid thumping of benches by members.

He also said he was "hestitant to say if the host were courteous... I don't want to comment on it. I have no qualms or complaints". The Minister also said "India is known globally for its 'meheman nawaazi (hospitality)."

Several members had appreciated Singh for "boycotting" the lunch and criticised Pakistan for not showing due courtesy to the visiting Indian Home Minister.

To queries whether there was no telecast of his speech, Singh said he was not aware of the convention and would need to ask the Ministry of External Affairs regarding it.

"Since I was giving speech, I did not see if it was live telecast or not. But this is true that Doordarshan, ANI and PTI reporters were not given permission to enter inside (the venue)", he said as members condemned it by chanting "shame, shame".

Rajya Sabha members also criticised Pakistan for allowing protest against India and the visit of Singh.

The Minister said as per the original plan, he had to reach the hotel by road from Rawalpindi airbase, but probably security officials later decided to use helicopter.

"I saw people were protesting at several places in groups of 10-25 or 100," he said, adding "had I bothered about the protest, I probably wouldn't have gone to Pakistan". Singh also said he did not register any protest against these protests.

Reports had said that members of the Indian media, which went from New Delhi to report the conference, were not allowed to enter the venue and kept at a distance by Pakistani officials, leading to a verbal duel between a senior Indian official and a Pakistani official.

The Home Minister also skipped the official lunch as the host had left the venue, the reports had said.