Pointing out that the Ministry of External Affairs will take a final call over separatist Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s request for an Indian passport, Minister of state in the PMO Dr Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said that Geelani should be apologetic for his anti-India activities. "Anybody who gets involved in anti-India activity should be apologetic," he said, reiterating BJP's stand that the Hurriyat leader shall apologize for anti-national activities and acknowledge that he is an Indian for getting the Indian passport. Singh was here to launch a new 300 KW MW Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) Transmitter, having capacity to broadcast All India Radio programmes all over the state, besides Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and parts of Pakistan’s Punjab province. [related-post] "For giving or not giving the permission to go aborad, there is a mechanism in place," Singh said, adding that the MEA will study all the facts and details in the matter before giving its opinion and taking a final call. "The Government of India will take appropriate decision depending on all the facts and figures in the matter," he added. Geelani has sought an Indian passport for visiting Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to meet his ailing daughter, but the state BJP has objected to its issuance saying that he shall first appologise and acknowledge that he is an Indian. BJP’s main objection to issuance of Indian passport to Geelani appears to be his statement describing Kashmir as a disputed territory and display of Pakistani flags at his rally at Tral in the Valley. The Hurriyat leaders, however, describe it as a humanitarian issue concerning a father who wishes to meet his terminally ill daughter. He is not going there on a political trip, said one of them. PDP, however, has remained silent on this issue.
