The controversy over the meeting between senior Indian journalist Ved Prakash Vaidik and Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed took a surprising turn on Monday when it was revealed his trip to Pakistan had been sponsored by the Regional Peace Institute. It appeared that Vaidik was neither acting on behalf of the government, nor was he on some covert mission.The Regional Peace Institute is an organisation promoted by senior Congress leaders Manishankar Aiyar and Salman Khurshid, and former Pak PM Mehmood Kasuri.The Congress, which saw deep conspiracies in the Saeed-Vaidik meeting and disrupted Parliament on the issue, was left red-faced when it found it that Vaidik had gone on a project sponsored by at least two Congress leaders.The sparring in India’s Parliament gave Saeed the opportunity to tweet that the row over his meeting Vedik showed the narrow mindedness of Indian politicians.Speaking to Mirror, Vaidik said, “I travelled with 11 others, met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and was enjoying myself on a lecture circuit when this offer asking if I would like to meet the JuD chief.“I had no particular idea, but agreed to the meeting much against every one’s advice,” said Vaidik. He denied that he consulted the government in Delhi. He said his photos with the JuD chief were clicked by someone unknown. “I later asked for them and circulated them. When I reached Delhi, India TV asked me to give the interview I recorded with Saeed.”