Vaidik while justifying his meeting said that being a journalist he was free to meet anyone, anywhere. He said that he was actually interviewing Hafiz Saeed and some people in India are making issue out of nothing. However, questions are being raised that if he had actually interviewed Saeed, then why it was not published anywhere?

We spoke to few senior journalists back in India and asked them if Vaidik can justify his meeting with Hafiz Saeed while saying that being journo he can meet anyone.

Arvind Mohan, Senior Journalist

It's his decision to meet someone or not. He has good contacts with known people. He know people more than any journalist in India. I think he has mingled up his professional and personal life this time. I don't know, either he is passing these comments from his own side or Govt's one but all I know is, he is not talking journalistic things if he saying that he had taken an interview and published it on Facebook or any other site. So, according to me its a lime light gimmick or might be he had something else behind that. He is into lots of things and as far as I know, nowadays he has partially deprived himself from journalism. There are certain rules that journos need to follow. He has one bad habit of not informing particular official people regarding his work that he had done or going to do. But this time he has trapped himself in a big controversy.

Prabal Pratap Singh, Senior TV Journalist

Being a journalist one can meet anyone. But he needs to declare or divulge his motive before moving to Pakistan for a 20 day journey. If he has met someone for a journalistic purpose then it is fairly fine. His statement is not justifiable. If myself go to meet Hafiz Saeed I would be having a particular purpose behind it. The conduct of journalist depends on the coined up questions. He is not a regular journalist, he should also divulge the purpose. He (Vaidik) should better tell his intention behind his meeting with Hafiz Saeed. What he is going to do, which channel/publication asked him to do this and his purpose, these all are questions that he needs to answer. I am also a journalist, if I visit Pakistan and meet Pakistan Talibanis then I need to reveal the purpose, like for whom I am going to interview? Journalism has certain rules and by using your position as a journalist to meet the people who doesn't belong to the nation is totally absurd.

Geeta Shree, Senior Journalist

It is very conditional situation, if you are a journalist so you can meet whosoever you want to as it is our profession's demand. But the meeting becomes suspicous if it is very much informal. There should be transparency in your work, like with what purpose or regarding what assignment you have met someone, where it will be published and what kind of interaction you had. It should be presented before public. If one has interviewed someone and later on published it, then it is completely fine but informal meeting cannot be entertained and convincing one.

Vinod Mishra, Senior TV Journalist

I believe that the statement of journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik regarding his meeting with Hafiz Saeed is bogus and absurd.