Shortly after representing the Government at the national day reception at Pakistan High Commission tonight which kicked up a storm, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh issued a series of intriguing tweets defining “disgust” and “duty” indicating that he may have been unhappy at being deputed to it.
In the first of the five quick tweets, Singh, a former Army Chief, said, “To offend the moral sense, principles, or taste of”.
This was immediately followed by another which said, “To sicken or fill with loathing”.
While the third tweet said, “A job or service allocated,” the fourth one said,”The force that binds one morally or legally to one’s obligations”.
The last tweet said,”A task or action that a person is bound to perform for moral or legal reasons”.
Earlier tonight, Singh told reporters after attending the reception that he was asked by the government to represent it at the function.
“The Government of India has to send an MoS. They sent me and I went there and came back,” he said replying to a question about his presence at the reception.
Asked specifically whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him to attend the event, he said, “The Government of India asked me to go there.”
Singh ttended the event where several Kashmiri separatist leaders including Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Yaseen Malik were also present.
The Minister’s visit to the Pakistani High Commission came on a day India and Pakistan sparred over Hurriyat leaders’ meeting Pakistani envoy Abdul Basit with government making it clear that there was no role for a third party.
Mirwaiz, Chairman of Hurriyat Conference, along with Abdul Gani Bhat, Maulana Abbas Ansari, Bilal Gani Lone, Aga Syed Hassan, Mussadiq Adil and Mukhtar Ahmad Waza had held talks with Basit last night.
Basit, who invited them to the Pakistan National Day celebrations, said that India was not against these interactions. However, India hit out, saying “the Government of India prefers to speak for itself”. Later, on his facebook page, he posted some definitions as per Collins dictionary of “disgust” and “duty” and listed the meanings as tweeted by him.Subsequently, Singh tweeted, “Disgusted to see how certain sections of the media are twisting this issue”.
Sources said tonight that Singh had been deputed to the event after clearance from the Prime Minister.
The Pakistan Day reception is an annual diplomatic event but tonight it generated a controversy because of the presence of the separatist leaders. Reacting to the developments, former Jammu and Kashmir Cheif Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted,”How ridiculous to expect that Gen V K Singh would not attend the Pak national event. Its his job as MOS MEA to attend diplomatic events.”
Abdullah, a former Minister of State in the External Affairs Ministry, said,”Modi government is also more realistic regarding Pak-APHC(All Parties Hurriyat Conference) equation.
“The calling off of the dialogue after the earlier tea was a bad knee jerk,” he said referring to the earlier cancellation by India of Foreign Secretary-level talks.