The government has denied "political clearance" to RJD MP Manoj Jha's proposed visit to Pakistan to address an event, which is being held in memory of that country's noted human rights activist Asma Jahangir, he said on Monday.
Jha termed the rejection of his application "unfortunate" and said the visit would have given him a chance to highlight the great tradition of Indian political parties in fighting for people's democratic rights.
He noted that Jahangir, who died in 2018, was known for fighting for the rights of minorities in Pakistan and was a face of South Asia which stood for human rights.
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The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader said while he received the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs, he was denied political clearance by the Ministry of External Affairs.
The Rajya Sabha member was scheduled to speak on the "role of political parties in protecting democratic rights" in Lahore on October 23.
"This could have given me an opportunity on the behalf of the Indian Parliament to showcase how we fight for people's democratic rights on the streets and in Parliament. This could have added value and enhanced our stature," he said.
Jha said he had planned to enter Pakistan through the Wagah border on October 20 and return on October 24.
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(Inputs from PTI)
