Qazi leaked my letter: Gujral

He said the lecture was organised by the Indo-Pak friendship Society and it was but right for the High Commissioner to be on stage at the annual programme.

Taking part in the discussion, author and former ambassador to Pakistan Kuldeep Nayyar took a stern view of the High Commissioner8217;s letter to his Governmentwhich accused Sethi of treachery for his speech at the India International Centre here. 8220;He has no right to continue here and should immediately be recalled,8221; Nayyar said. 8220;We need a voice of goodwill rather than someone who mutilates facts and who cannot appreciate a journalist exercising his freedom to speak,8221; he said, adding that Qazi went beyond his brief by also acting as a spy on a countryman.

8220;The only way the media in India can help Najam Sethi and the freedom of journalists there is to keep the issue on the front page and thus keep up the pressure,8221; said Outlook editor Vinod Mehta. 8220;The arrest has not helped Pakistan in any way and I cannot think of any reason why it acted so. Bill Clinton is angry and threatening to cancel his trip, the world media is against Pakistan,8221; he said.

8220;The only logic in this is that the Pak establishment has a reputation of not acting logically. They act first and think later,8221; he said. On the possible reasons for the Pakistani Government to be provoked intopersecuting Sethi, he said Sethi was very outspoken.

Writing on the conviction of Benazir Bhutto in his last article to Outlook, Sethi had made the most devastating critique of the Pakistani Government, when he said, 8220;To catch a thief set a thief.8221; But he was also a hardliner on most issues close to Pakistan8217;s heart.

On Kashmir, Sethi believed that unless the issue was resolved, and not merely addressed, no other issues could even be taken up.