Singh attended Pak Day function after govt's considered decision: MEA

External Affairs Ministry today said its Minister of State V K Singh attended the Pakistan National Day function after a "considered decision" by the government.
"I want to make it very clear he (Singh) went there as government representative. He went there based on a considered decision. He went there based on our understanding of how we approach these things...
"This was a carefully considered decision, a calibrated decision. A decision taken well in time," Spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry Syed Akbaruddin said.
However, the Spokesperson did not comment on Singh's cryptic tweets which generated a political controversy, saying "The best person to explain this is the minister of state himself. He has articulated his views repeatedly... And that is the last word on that."

The former Army Chief had been deputed by the government to represent it at the Pakistan National Day reception at the High Commission on Monday where Kashmiri separatist leaders were also present. He stayed for a brief while only.
An hour later, the minister issued a series of tweets such as "#DUTY- The force that binds one morally or legally to one's obligations. #DUTY- A job or service allocated. #DISGUST- To offend the moral sense, principles, or taste of. #DISGUST- To sicken or fill with loathing."

And then later he blamed the media for "twisting" the issue with a tweet "#'Disgust'ed to see how certain sections of the media are twisting this issue."

Asserting that Singh was not the first Minister of state to go there and he certainly will not be the last Minister of State to go on such occasions, the Spokesperson said, "There is a carefully calibrated approach that we follow on such matters and government nominates a person to go on such occasions. On this instance it was Minister of State for External Affairs Mr V K Singh."
Asked if government has adopted a soft approach towards talks between Pakistan High Commissioner here and Kashmiri separatist leaders, he did not give a direct answer and said, "In diplomacy, contextual specificities are of importance."

"We carefully examined the situation. We take responses based on our understanding of the contextual situation and we have taken this decision based on contextual situation including the reciprocity of who had come to the Indian Republic Day celebration sometime ago," he added.
Lt Gen (Retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch, Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions, represented Pakistan at the Republic Day celebrations by Indian High Commission in Islamabad.