Interior ministry submits objections over Quetta commission report in SC

Counsel for interior ministry says remarks and observations of the report deny fundamental rights to those affected

ISLAMABAD: The interior ministry on Friday submitted its objections over the Quetta commission report in the Supreme Court.

Counsel for the interior ministry, Makhdoom Ali Khan, submitted a 64-page reply raising several objections in the judicial commission report authored by Justice Qazi Faez Isa.



"It is evident that the interior ministry, and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, in the last three years have diligently pursued measures for counter terrorism. It is not denied that more work is required to eliminate terrorism from Pakistan. It may, however, be appreciated that it is due to the untiring efforts of the ministry, under the leadership of Nisar, Pakistan Army and other intelligence and law enforcement agencies that incidents of terrorism have been reduced in the last three years," the reply read.

The report stated that federal and provincial governments so far have spent Rs4.6 billion as compensation to victims in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh, while Rs1.06 billion has been spent as compensation to victims in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

Further, the counsel told the top court that the adverse observations and findings of the commission, in respect to the interior ministry and Chaudhry Nisar are, unnecessary, uncalled for and in violation of natural justice.



The interior ministry counsel went on to say that such remarks and observations not only deny fundamental rights to those affected, but also have an adverse effect on the morale of the persons involved. "War against terrorism is a national war, which requires unity among all institutions of the state," he added.

"In view of the above, it is prayed that all adverse remarks made in the Quetta Commission's report, including but not limited to those in paras 10.4, 10.6, 10.7 and 11, as well as the findings in paras 33.3, 33.14 to 33.20, 33.24 and 33.26, in respect of the interior ministry and the interior minister may be expunged."



In December, the country's top security czar said that he had decided to resign over allegations of his political rivals following the Supreme Court’s report on Quetta hospital carnage.

“I went to the prime minister to tell him that I wanted to resign from my position but was told by him that the decision was unacceptable,” Chaudhry Nisar said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.

“The report was one sided and was released without including the interior ministry’s narrative,” he said, adding, “Personal attacks were also hurled at me for no reason.”

Following a judicial commission’s damning report on the August 8 Quetta carnage, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmakers demanded that the interior minister be removed from his post. On December 16, the PPP also submitted an adjournment motion against Chaudhry Nisar in the National Assembly Secretariat, claiming that the interior minister was incapable of playing a role in combating terrorism.

The one-man commission report released by the Supreme Court on Thursday pointed out the ‘monumental failure’ of the interior ministry to combat terrorism.