This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/8478088.stm
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Indian PM apologises over advert | Indian PM apologises over advert |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| Indian officials have apologised after a government advertisement included an image of a Pakistani ex-air force chief alongside prominent Indians. | |
| Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed was pictured with Indians such as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and cricketer Kapil Dev in a campaign against female foeticide. | |
| The full-page newspaper ad was produced by the women and child development ministry for National Girl Child Day. | The full-page newspaper ad was produced by the women and child development ministry for National Girl Child Day. |
| The government has ordered an inquiry into the error. | The government has ordered an inquiry into the error. |
| Former Air Chief Marshal Ahmed said the inclusion of his photograph in the advertisement was probably an "innocent mistake". | |
| Shocked | Shocked |
| "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," the prime minister's media adviser Harish Khare said in a statement. | "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," the prime minister's media adviser Harish Khare said in a statement. |
| The full-page advertisement appeared in Indian newspapers on Sunday and had photos of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi and junior minister for women and child development Krishna Tirath. | |
| The advertisement included photographs of two of India's cricketing heroes, Kapil Dev and Virendra Sehwag, as well as musician Amjad Ali Khan. | |
| Many people in India were shocked to see that the advertisement also included the photograph of Pakistan's former Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Ahmed. | |
| Mrs Tirath said she had set up a committee to find out how the photograph appeared in the advertisement. | Mrs Tirath said she had set up a committee to find out how the photograph appeared in the advertisement. |
| "I have expressed regret and also sought an apology on behalf of the ministry over the lapses. We should be cautious so that such mistakes are not repeated in the future," she said. | "I have expressed regret and also sought an apology on behalf of the ministry over the lapses. We should be cautious so that such mistakes are not repeated in the future," she said. |
| The minister said the inquiry committee will give its report in a fortnight. | The minister said the inquiry committee will give its report in a fortnight. |
| "I wasn't aware about this... I was busy with a golf match and didn't know about this development," the Press Trust of India news agency quoted the former air chief as saying. | |
| "I guess it's just one of those errors. It must be an innocent mistake," he said. | "I guess it's just one of those errors. It must be an innocent mistake," he said. |