Govt will brazen out snooping allegations until name of NSO Group’s Indian client is revealed: Chidambaram

PTI, Jul 27, 2021, 10:22 AM IST

New Delhi: The government would brazen out the allegations of snooping until it is known who the ”Indian client” of Israeli firm NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware was and that name would be revealed soon, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said on Tuesday.

The former home minister said that based on investigations by an international group of journalists, news portal ‘The Wire’ has reported that there was ”an Indian client of the NSO Group”.

Last week, an international media consortium reported that over 300 verified mobile phone numbers, including those of two ministers, over 40 journalists, three opposition leaders besides scores of businesspersons and activists in India, could have been targeted for hacking through the Pegasus spyware of the NSO Group.

The government has been denying all Opposition allegations in the matter.

”Who was the ‘Indian client’? Was it the government of India? Was it an agency of the government? Was it a private entity?” Chidambaram asked in a tweet.

”I am certain the client’s name will be revealed soon. Until then, I suppose the government will brazen out the allegations of snooping,” he said.

Amid reports that French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on the Pegasus snooping allegations, Chidambaram had attacked the Centre on Monday, too, saying the only government that was ”unconcerned” over the issue was that of India.

The parliamentary panel on information technology led by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is likely to question top government officials, including those from the home ministry, later this week on Pegasus snooping allegations, according to sources.