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Pathak report

The Justice R.S. Pathak Inquiry has found that the former External Affairs Minister, Natwar Singh, and his son Jagat Singh misused their positions to get oil contracts from Iraq. But it also holds that no money was transferred to them. This is the point on which Mr. Natwar Singh lays claims to innocence. What exactly was the motivation for the father-son duo?

V. Devarajan,
Aluva, Kerala

* * *

Mr. Singh has sought to exonerate himself on the basis of a portion of the report. The report clearly says the money has been traced to the Swiss bank accounts of the persons introduced by the Minister to the Oil Ministry of Iraq.

N. Ramakrishnan,
Chennai

* * *

Mr. Singh's long years in government should have made him weigh the pros and cons of giving a letter to the Iraqi authorities requesting business for Hamdan exports. How come the Congress was unaware of the dealings until Volcker disclosed it to the world and The Hindu to the nation?

Jayashri S. Raghavan,
New Delhi

* * *

Instead of being pained that his name is involved in the deal, the former Minister is happy that he stands `vindicated.' Such an attitude on the part of politicians belittles the system.

Varun Singhal,
Bangalore

* * *

It is unfortunate that two of our former External Affairs Ministers, one belonging to the ruling party and the other to the opposition, are in the news for the wrong reasons.

M.V. Saranath,
Chennai

* * *

A few years ago, the NDA was hammering the Congress with the Bofors issue but beat a hasty retreat when confronted with the coffin case and the Tehelka exposé. A major issue became a non-issue because the hunter became the hunted. The latest in such dramas involving politicians was the `mole' issue, which had pushed the BJP to the corner. All of a sudden, the Natwar Singh issue has cropped up! Neither the BJP nor the Congress is likely to lose sleep over the issues. They will become non-issues sooner or later. And the people zealously following the developments will end up looking like clowns.

V.J. Lawrence,
Bangalore

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