New Delhi, Jan. 24: A government advertisement on Sunday turned into a source of embarrassment as it carried a photograph of a former Pakistan Air Force Chief along with Indian leaders and icons, forcing the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to apologise and order a high-level inquiry into the goof-up.
In an advertisement issued by the ministry of women and child development, which appeared in a leading English daily, the photograph of former Pakistan Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed, in uniform, appeared along with those of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The advertisement was meant to mark National Girl Child Day.
Realising the error, the PMO quickly issued a statement apologising for the "mistake". It said, "The Prime Minister’s Office has noted with regret the inclusion of a foreign national’s photograph in a Government of India advertisement. While an internal inquiry has been instituted, the PMO apologises to the public for this lapse."
Interestingly, however, the statement appeared to be in sharp contrast with what WCD minister Krishna Tirath had to offer. Saying there was nothing wrong with the advertisement, Ms Tirath insisted, "The message is more important than the image. The photograph is only symbolic. The message for the girl child is more important. She should be protected."
The minister, however, conceded that "if there was a mistake" on the part of her ministry, or the DAVP, which releases government advertisements, it would be investigated. The WCD ministry later in the day constituted an inquiry committee headed by additional secretary Sudhir Kumar to probe the faux pas.
Officials said the publicity material for "National Girl Child Day" was released by the WCD ministry through DAVP after approval and clearance from the minister, whose staff had prepared the text and images for the advertisement.
The advertisement also showed sports icons Kapil Dev and Virender Sehwag and sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan along with the former PAF Chief with the heading, "Where would you be if your mother was not allowed to be born?"
When contacted, DAVP officials said the advertisement came very late from the ministry on Saturday, and since "everything was finalised by the WCD ministry" they only released that at around 8 pm.
Livid over the "mistake", Indian Air Force sources pointed out that the former PAF Chief was at the helm of affairs at the time of the Mumbai terror attacks and the escalation of military tension with India in its aftermath. They said that the use of the former PAF officer’s picture was a "big embarrassment" to the IAF.
Age Correspondent