ISLAMABAD, Jan 29 Senator Prof Khurshid Ahmed, the parliamentary leader of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal in the Senate, has criticised President Pervez Musharraf for meeting Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, the senator termed the meeting a violation of Pakistan's principled position and said it damaged the country's image in the Arab and Islamic world.

The statement said “It is deplorable that President Musharraf invited Israeli minister to his hotel room in Paris where they held an hour-long meeting reportedly over Iran's nuclear programme, among other things.”