It must be an innocent mistake: Ex-Pak air chief

An amused former Air Force chief of Pakistan Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed on Sunday reacted with surprise over appearance of his photograph in an Indian government advertisement along with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh but described it as an "innocent mistake".

The inclusion of Air Chief Marshal (retired) Ahmed's photograph along with Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and other icons in the advertisement caused embarrassment for the Congress-led UPA government.

The Prime Minister's Office apologised to the nation and ordered an inquiry into the lapse.

On being informed about the faux pas, Ahmed told PTI: "I wasn't aware about this as I don't really watch much of the media. Anyway, I was busy with a golf match and didn't know about this development."

"I guess it's just one of those errors. It must be an innocent mistake," said Ahmed, who retired as PAF chief in March last year.

The advertisement by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to mark the National Girl Child Day also featured photos of sports icons Kapil Dev and Virender Sehwag and sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and bore the heading: "Where would you be if your mother was not allowed to be born?"