SP lawmaker says will commit suicide if any link proved in Pak espionage case

Bhopal: Samajwadi Party MP Munawwar Saleem has reportedly threatened to commit suicide along with his family if an “iota of evidence” is found against him in the Pakistani espionage ring.

The spying racket, run by a Pakistani high commission staffer, was recently busted by the crime branch of the Delhi Police.

One of Saleem's personal aides Farhat was arrested on Saturday after he was found collaborating with Pakistani visa officer Mehmood Akhtar.

Farhat was arrested along with two other Indians Maulana Ramzan and Subhash Jangir while they were exchanging sensitive defence documents.

Saleem's aide has allegedly told interrogators that he was paid Rs 2 lakh in instalments by Akhtar for sharing classified documents.

Saleem was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav in 2012 to woo the Muslim vote bank in the Bundelkhand region.

He said that he had appointed Farhat as his PA after due verification.

"My life is an open book. When Farhat approached me a year ago, I had sent communication to Parliament and government for 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 accountable," the Times of India quoted him as saying.