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The external affairs ministry has dismissed speculation that Qatar-based Arabic television channel Al Jazeera's India correspondent Naseer M Shadeed had been asked by the government to leave even as the channel decided to replace him.
Responding to reports that the government had asked Shadeed to pack up, an external affairs ministry source said on Monday that there was nothing wrong with his papers. "All that we know is that the TV channel's management wants to replace him with another correspondent and the person who is going to take over is one Rafaat [Saleh] Yahya."
Asserting that the government has good relations with Al-Jazeera and remains committed to the freedom of the press, the source said Shadeed has a valid visa till March next year and is free to work in the country if his company so desires.
Shadeed, who had come to India in January, said he had been asked by his bosses not to talk to the press. But a source close to him said the government's discontent began with Shadeed's coverage of the Gujarat riots and grew when his reports began specifying the number of Kashmiri militants killed by the army.
This source pointed out that while the government had not directly asked Shadeed to pack up, it was creating hurdles in his professional functioning by not granting him accreditation.
The external affairs ministry source, however, claimed that Shadeed was not given accreditation because his organisation wanted him back in Qatar.
The source said the TV channel had not been asked to close shop in India. "An institution is greater than an individual. Al Jazeera will continue to function in the country," the source remarked.
Meanwhile, the external affairs ministry confirmed that British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw would be visiting India on July 19. His programme is still being chalked out.
PTI
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