PMO apologises for ad fiasco

January 24, 2010 02:09 pm | Updated January 25, 2010 02:18 am IST - New Delhi

The Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday apologised to the nation and ordered an inquiry into the inclusion of the former Pakistan Air Force chief’s photograph in a government advertisement carried by some newspapers to mark the National Girl Child Day.

The advertisement, issued by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) and aimed at creating awareness of female foeticide, also carried the pictures of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, besides several Indian icons.

A committee, led by an Additional Secretary of the Ministry, will look into the episode.

The drama unfolded when the photograph of the former Pakistan Air Chief Marshal, Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed, in uniform appeared along with the Indian leaders in the advertisement, released by the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

By noon, the PMO issued a statement. It said: “The Prime Minister’s Office has noted with regret the inclusion of a foreign national’s photograph in a Government of India advertisement. While an internal inquiry has been instituted, the PMO apologises to the public for this lapse.”

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.