DAVP ad with ex PAF chief’s picture infuriates PMO

The prime minister's office on Sunday apologised for the embarrassing lapse that saw a former Pakistani air force chief alongside various Indian icons in a government ad campaign to mark National Girl Child Day. The union government has also ordered a probe into the goof-up.

The PMO issued a statement saying, "The PMO 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."

The contentious ad - an appeal to stop female foeticide – was issued by the ministry of women and child development and splashed across newspapers on Sunday. It showed accomplished persons from different fields like cricketers Kapil Dev and Virender Sehwag and sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, along with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and women and child minister Krishna Tirath. Alongside, it had the photograph of a former Pakistani air chief Tanvir Ahmed Mahmood in full uniform.

While admitting the "goof-up", the government tried to counter attempts by rival parties to blame Tirath or Congress for it. Meanwhile the lapse triggered a blame game between women and child and information and broadcasting ministries. Tirath said the advertisement had been issued by Directorate of Audio Visual Publicity (DAVP), which comes under the I&B ministry, adding that a probe would find out who was responsible.

The minister, however, was also quoted by news agencies as saying that the message of the campaign for protection of girl child was more important than anything else; she also tried to justify it by talking of ''global peace''.

Reports suggest that the PMO was upset because the advertisement was released by the two ministries without following the standard operating procedure that requires all ads carrying pictures of the prime minister to be cleared by his office. "The mandatory vetting could have averted the embarrassment," sources said.

The also made the Indian Air Force livid. Unnamed IAF officials told various agencies that if the ministry had wanted to use Air Chief Marshal P V Naik's photo all they had to do was ask for it from the air headquarters.