Friday, March 29, 2024

Manoj Jha says denied “political clearance” to attend conference in Pak

RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj K Jha Monday said he has been denied “political clearance” by the Union government to travel to Pakistan to attend an academic conference later this month.

The conference was on “Crisis of Constitutionalism in South Asia” and was organised by the Asma Janangir Foundation.

The Bihar leader was invited to attend the fourth Asma Jahangir Conference as a guest speaker for the closing session themed “The Role of Political Parties in Upholding Democratic Rights” on October 23, according to Indian Express.

Jha said to the newspaper that the Ministry of External Affairs rejected his application for “political clearance” without assigning any reason.

“I received this invitation to attend the prestigious Asma Janangir conference. She fought for the rights of minorities in Pakistan throughout her life. She fought… for human rights. I was very keen to attend. I was scheduled to speak on the role of political parties in upholding democratic rights. It would have been a great opportunity for me personally and as an MP to showcase… how we view this issue, how we fight inside Parliament and how it is heard and listened to,” he said.

“I don’t know who decides..but the fact is that probably the people who make decisions do not know who Asma Jehangir was, what was the mandate of this conference and I find it very unfortunate and saddening…I as an MP cannot speak about our achievements in protecting democratic rights,” he said to the newspaper.

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