Pathak panel ignored vital details: Natwar

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August 09, 2006 17:29 IST

Questioning the findings of the Pathak Inquiry Authority in the Iraqi oil scam, suspended Congress leader Natwar Singh said on Wednesday that both the panel and the Government had 'deliberately ignored' certain vital inputs from India's permanent mission to the United Nations.

'I would like to point out that the Justice Pathak inquiry committee has in its own convoluted way totally discredited the basis of Paul Volcker's allegations', Natwar Singh said in a statement read by his son Jagat.

'I place before the people of India what the Permanent Mission of India in the UN reported in the final report in the oil-for-food programme investigation on the authencity and veracity of the Volcker report to the Manmohan Singh government', he said.

Singh, who alongwith his son has been indicted by the Pathak panel, quoted from the report by the Minister in PMI Harsh Vardhan Shringla, which said, 'The IICs were headed by Paul Volcker, former chairman of the US Federal reserve, whose inclination was to discredit the opponents of US policy'.

The report further said, 'No evidence has been cited and no documentation given on most of the allegations made...due process was not observed because none of the non-commercial entities were asked through PMI to respond to the allegations'.

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