India unwittingly allowed Pak to misuse Jt Mechanism forum: Sinha

New Delhi, Mar 8 (UNI) Senior BJP leader and former External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha today regretted in the Rajya Sabha that India had unwittingly allowed Pakistan to misuse the Joint Anti-Terror Mechanism to level unfounded allegations in structured discussions.

Making a Zero Hour mention in the House, Mr Sinha said the day Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had spoken of the Joint Mechanism on the fringes of the NAM Summit in Havana last year, the BJP had expressed fears that it would allow Pakistan to get away from its responsibility.

''Now Pakistan has levelled the allegation that India is 'fomenting' trouble in its Balochistan province through its Consulates in Afghanistan. This is happening for the first time in a structured debate and our apprehensions have come true,'' he remarked.

He sought to know if Pakistan had provided evidence to back its allegation. Mr Sinha also wanted the government to clarify if India had sought the extradition of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim from Pakistan and if it had also provided information about the involvement of its nationals in the Mumbai and Malegaon blasts.

Instead of dismantling terror infrastructure in its territory, Pakistan had accused India of fomenting trouble, he said.

When Mr Sinha wanted to raise the issue, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Pachauri objected to the member deliberating on the issue which had figured earlier. Mr Sinha stuck to his guns that the issues raised by him was different from those mentioned earlier. After he completed his mention, there was no response from Mr Pachauri leading to a strong protest from the BJP benches.

Mr Sinha said his party would never allow the debate to be treated in a cavalier fashion. On the coaxing of BJP Deputy Leader Sushma Swaraj, Mr Pachauri said he would bring the issue to the notice of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee as the issue involved confidentiality.

The members placed their Special Mentions on the table of the House to facilitate a continued debate on Motion of Thanks for President's address to the Joint Session.

UNI