BANGALORE: Defending the grant of visa to former cricket captain Javed Miandad, the Indian government on Thursday said the home ministry had followed ‘proper’ procedures in the matter.

“It is a decision taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the government. What are the circumstances, what is considered when an approval is given ... what goes into it, is an internal government matter,” External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid told reporters here.

He was responding to a question about the opposition to the grant of visa to Miandad, an official of the Pakistan Cricket Board, for the India-Pakistan one-day matches.

Because of Miandad’s family’s ties with Dawood Ibrahim, India’s most wanted terrorist, it was reported before a cricket series in 2005 that any requests for a visa by Miandad could be turned down by the Indian government.

Mr Khurshid retorted: “It is the job of MHA. They have taken a decision. No Pakistani visa gets cleared without MHA clearance. Inputs from all agencies are taken into consideration. It is an internal procedure. Proper procedures have been gone through.”

In an indirect reference to Shiv Sena’s objections over grant of visa, he said: “Opposition only questions. Proper procedures have gone through in this. Any law of prudence which had to be followed, it was followed, I am sure law will take care.”

By arrangement with Times of India