Culture of flattery has destroyed govts: Nisar

Says he will reveal his reasons for not becoming part of the new federal cabinet in a few days

RAWALPINDI: Former interior minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Friday said he would explain in the next few days as to why he didn't take any ministerial post in the current federal cabinet.

“I will soon divulge details about not joining the cabinet of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi,” he said while addressing a public gathering in Rawat – his home constituency – to inaugurate a hospital and a road project.

This was his first public appearance after the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif by the Supreme Court.



Reports of Nisar’s reservations with other PML-N leaders had emerged last month, following which he had announced he will hold a press conference to clear the air.

He finally spoke to the media last week, after postponing the talk twice, to announce that he will be resigning from his National Assembly seat and his ministry on the day of the Panamagate verdict because his ‘heart was no longer in politics’.

The former interior minister said: “Nawaz Sharif has been removed from the office of the prime minister, but no one can take his position which has been given to him by the people.”
“The culture of flattery has destroyed governments and real loyalty is to say the truth before your leader.”

The former interior minister lamented that politics has become a difficult job in the country. “Politics today has become an exchange of abuses as compared to be seen as an honourable work.”

He deplored that politicians were not differentiating between true and false and ‘halal’ and ‘haram’.

Nisar added that people know that roads are built when the PML-N is in power and the country starts developing, and claimed that whenever the party’s opponents come to power all progress stops.

The PML-N leader told the people at the inauguration that he believes in always standing by the truth and that he was a steadfast supporter of the PML-N. He also reiterated that he will stand by Nawaz Sharif in difficult times.



Nisar said that the country was facing many challenges and all the people in the country are fighting among themselves. They even ignore the threats from outside, he alleged.

“I do not flatter, I always say what I feel is the truth whether someone is happy or not,” said the PML-N leader, adding that we have to strengthen the party under Nawaz Sharif’s leadership.

When the audience started raising slogans “Go Imran Go”, during his address, Nisar stopped them and said rather than raising slogans, strengthen the party.

At the end of the ceremony Nisar posed question to the audience asking them “Will you offer sacrifices? Will you support your leadership? Will you save Pakistan? Will you open up the way to progress? Will you support Chaudhry Nisar?” To this the participants replied positively to each of his questions.

Earlier, upon his arrival at his constituency, for the first time after the dissolution of the cabinet and disqualification of Nawaz Sharif, he was warmly received by the people.

Addressing a news conference just a day before the top court disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the Panama case, the former interior minister had said he would step down irrespective of the verdict, saying he had been kept out of the consultation process within the party.