PM, PMO did not leak Pathak report

New Delhi: Facing a political storm over the leakage of the Pathak Committee report, Government on Monday dismissed Opposition charges that the Prime Minister or his office had leaked the Pathak report.

"I can emphatically say that nothing has been done at the behest of the Prime Minister or the PMO," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said.

Attacking the opposition for targeting the Prime Minister, Dasmunsi said Manmohan Singh is regarded highly not only at home but internationally.

He also made it clear that media cannot be hounded for the leakage of the Pathak Committee.

"Journalists are not bound to appear before any inquiry committee to disclose their source. However, it is the responsibility of the government to find out how it had happened," Dasmunsi said.

Dasmunsi also supported the suggestion made by Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee that the matter should be looked into.