Government under fire over visa to Miandad

A lawmaker of the Congress Party today said he was not in favour of former Pak cricket skipper Javed Miandad being given a visa to visit India for the ongoing one-day match series, saying it will hurt the sentiments of the people.

The government Thursday defended the decision to grant visa to former Pakistan cricketer Javed Miandad, whose son is married to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s daughter, saying the home ministry had followed “proper” procedures.

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“What are the circumstances, what is considered when an approval is given... what goes into it, is an internal government matter,” external affairs minister Salman Khurshid said.

Any relative of Dawood shouldn’t be allowed to visit India, said the BJP. “This country loves the game of cricket but does not love terrorists,” BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said. Pakistan should first handover the don, wanted in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, to India before the cricketer was allowed a visit.

Miandad, a Pakistan Cricket Board official, will be in Delhi for the January 6 ODI between India and Pakistan.