Gilani comes home to House media panel

Says Gilani, ‘‘I was stripped of my accreditation by the same advisory committee and was also deprived of my identity card.’’ Though Gilani was assured that he would get his accreditation after his name was cleared, he had to wait for a while. Gilani’s name was proposed by the press advisors to the Speaker’s office as he happens to be the sole representative from Jammu and Kashmir. With barely concealed happiness, Gilani says he is happy to be part of a committee that will advise the Speaker on matters relating to the press.

Officials in the Speaker’s office said that Gilani’s nomination was done without hesitations. ‘‘All the eligible names were given by the Lok Sabha Secretariat and the Speaker without hesitation okayed Gilani’s name with the rest.’’

Sources said the list was so skewed that certain states went unrepresented by their correspondents. ‘‘Chatterjee has tried to set right the anomaly by ensuring adequate representation from all states,’’ officials said. The panel has 24 members. This time 17 were eligible for a second term.

Gilani courted disaster when his father-in-law, Syed Ali Shah Gilani, who heads the pro-Pakistan faction in Jammu and Kashmir, was arrested two years ago. Iftekar Gilani was arrested subsequently on charges of suspicion.

Following public outrage, the previous government did not press with the case.