Ministers not educated enough to deal with Pak: Jethmalani

Pune, Jan 16: Senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani today slammed the government over the handling of affairs with Pakistan after the Pathankot attack, saying they are "not educated enough" to deal with the troubled nation.

"There is a serious happening at Pathankot and it needs to be seriously investigated, but the manner in which they (government) are dealing with Pakistan is unforgivable," Jethmalani told reporters on the sidelines of Law Day and Justice Y V Chandrachud Memorial Public Lecture at a law college here.

The Rajya Sabha MP said the government should continue talks with Pakistan but it should know what to talk. "You (Centre) want to talk to Pakistan, talk to them all the time. But the government should know what they are talking.

I regret to say that no one in the Ministry (of External Affairs) is educated enough," he said. On his letter, addressed to Congress president Sonia Gandhi where he reportedly offered to defend her and party vice president Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case, Jethmalani said he was "misquoted" by a section of media.

"What I had written to Mrs Gandhi was (her party) should not to disrupt the Rajya Sabha and also advised her that if she wants to claim innocence, she should go to the court as Parliament is not the place.

"I had written in my letter that Congress has many noted lawyers and if someone does not take the case, I will prepare to represent you," the former BJP leader said, while claiming that he was quoted out of context.

He, however, said he will represent Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the defamation case filed by Finance minister Arun Jaitley. The former Law minister also said that Prime minister Narendra Modi has "cheated" the nation on issues of black money and One-Rank-One-Pension.

In his address to law students, Jethmalani denounced ISIS over its brutalities and said Muslim majority countries themselves are now turning against the dreaded terror outfit.

PTI