NEW DELHI – India has once again shown it’s true colour after a 72 yearsold Pakistani personality was deported from India.

Eminent Pakistani television and media personality Moneeza Hashmi waswithdrawn as a speaker at the 15th Asia Media Summit which concluded onSaturday in New Delhi.

She is the daughter of Urdu poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz, who is celebrated on bothsides of the border for his stirring Urdu poetry.

Ms. Hashmi was supposed to speak during the inaugural day of the two-daysummit, on May 10th, at a session on ‘Should all good stories becommercially successful?’ along with three other speakers, includingpopular actor-turned-writer Twinkle Khanna. Her name, however, was missingfrom the final list of speakers released by the Government of India.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting were the co-hosts for thesummit along with Asia Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development(AIBD).

The organisers here have completely denied any knowledge of thislast-minute change. Director General, Press Information Bureau Sitanshu Kartold *The Hindu* that he was not aware of the development.

The Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), which was helming thesummit in Delhi, too said that they were not kept in the loop. “We were theco-hosts and the work was divided between us and AIBD. We had sentsuggestions on the speakers list but it was AIBD’s call finally on whom topick,” IIMC Director, KG Suresh said.

Over 200 foreign delegates participated in the summit, spread over twodays, and there were 54 speakers who spoke on various issues. But there wasno speaker from Pakistan.