Ayer in the soup for comments on Pakistan policy

ISLAMABAD: Former Indian Union minister and retired Indian diplomat Mani Shankar Ayer who recently visited Pakistan is in hot water back in his country on account of his comments favouring Pakistan’s policy for peace and negotiations with India.

He belongs to opposition Congress Party of India and staunch opponent of incumbent hardliner extremist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to media reports Ajay Aggarwal, a leader of ruling Indian party BJP and Supreme Court lawyer filed a complaint against Mani Shankar on Wednesday seeking his arrest over his remarks about Pakistan.

Mani Shankar Ayer is under suspension by his Congress Party for his harsh comments late last year about Indian Prime Minister Modi. He was suspended by the Congress Party after his ‘neech’ slur against Modi, again stirred a row, saying: “I receive much more hatred in India than the love I receive in Pakistan. I am really happy to be here.”

The Congress leader on the same day said he believed in the Pakistani people as they clapped for him because he spoke of peace. “Thousands of people, whom I don’t even know, hug me and welcome me.

Men, women and children clap for me. I get more hatred in India than the amount of love I am getting in Pakistan.” “I don’t believe the governments will change anything, but I believe in you people,” he added.

Ayer who is personal friend of former Foreign Minister of Pakistan Mian Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri and leader of the opposition in Senate Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan had also said that he is proud of Pakistan’s policy for having negotiated settlements of the disputes with India but dismay over Indian policy towards Pakistan. Ayer who served as Indian Counsel General of India in Karachi in late 70’s, came to Karachi to attend literary festival held in the city and now he has returned New Delhi.