I will kill myself if there's proof against me: Samajwadi Party MP

BHOPAL: Samajwadi Party MP Chaudhary Munavvar Saleem said on Saturday that he would commit suicide along with his family if probe agencies detect even an iota of evidence indicating his involvement in the espionage ring allegedly run by Pakistan High Commission official Mehmood Akhtar, which was uncovered by Delhi Police on Thursday .

Saleem's personal assistant Farhat was arrested on Saturday following his linkage with Akhtar, who was apprehended along with two Indians at the Delhi zoo while they were exchanging sensitive defence documents. Farhat allegedly told interrogators that he was paid Rs 2 lakh in instalments by Akhtar for sharing classified documents.

The MP said Farhat was appointed as his PA after due dili gence and independent verification by three different agencies, including the Delhi Police.“My life is an open book. When Farhat approached me a year ago, I had sent communication to the Parliament and government regarding his verification. Though I am not yet sure of his involvement in the spying syndicate, I would like to say that the police and other agencies which gave him a clean chit for appointment should also be held account able,“ Saleem told TOI , adding that he would extend all support to the probe agencies.

“My house in Delhi and Vidisha remains open for public.But I regret that a man like him came in my life,“ said Saleem.

Saleem said Farhat had worked with other MPs in the past before joining his office.“He had spent more time with Chaudhary Munawwar Hasan than me,“ he said, referring to the SP MP from Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha seat who was killed in a road accident near Faridabad in December 2008.

Hailing from Vidisha, Saleem had emerged as a new player in UP politics after SP boss Mulayam Singh nominated him to the Rajya Sabha in 2012 to woo the Muslim votebank in the Bundelkhand region. Saleem had unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls from Vidisha against external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in 2009.