Nisar wants Dawn Leaks report out of closet

Former interior minister says he always received cooperation from Rawalpindi

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Just two days after hitting back at a senior PML-N colleague who criticised his role as interior minister during Nawaz Sharif’s third term as prime minister, party firebrand Chaudhry Nisar Ali has called for the Dawn Leaks to be made public.

While responding to a question pertaining to the Dawn Leaks, Nisar said the inquiry was initiated on the orders of the government while the Ministry of Interior had only issued a notification. “In my opinion, the report of the committee should be made public.”

The Dawn Leaks incident began with a news story where a government source told a journalist that a civil-military divide occurred in a meeting because of the military’s refusal to go after terrorists with full force and the government’s insistence on targeting all terrorists.

The  report led to the sacking of cabinet members Pervaiz Rashid and Tariq Fatemi, and principal information officer Rao Tehseen.

Nisar also said he did not join the cabinet because of ‘difference of opinion’.

“I declined to be part of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s cabinet since I have difference of opinion,” the estranged PML-N stalwart said while addressing a news conference on Sunday.

Nisar critical of Yaqoob’s appointment

But contrary to expectations, Nisar avoided targeting his party leadership and colleagues. Instead, he highlighted his performance as former interior minister.

The former interior minister skilfully deflected questions on thorny issues like the post-Panamagate verdict scenario and Dawn Leaks.

In an interview with a private TV channel, former information minister Pervaiz Rashid in muted criticism of Chaudhry Nisar had said the interior ministry under him could have done more to help Sharif take right decisions during difficult times.

The vague references incensed Nisar who responded within no time, saying Rashid should have explained as to what kind of help he expected from the interior ministry to ‘cover up their deeds’.

However, during Sunday’s presser at Punjab House, the former interior minister preferred to highlight the achievements and initiatives he and his ministry had taken during the little over past four years.

Nisar also shared with the media a 40-page ‘brief synopsis of the policy and administrative initiatives of the ministry under Ch Nisar Ali Khan’.

The PML-N leader said there was no conflict between the civil-military leadership and added he always got the military’s cooperation during his period as interior minister. “I always received cooperation from Rawalpindi,” he said, referring to the General Headquarters.

Nisar said his decision to not join the cabinet was made in principle and added that he stuck by it.

“I’m grateful to Nawaz Sharif and PM Abbasi for trying to convince me [to join the government], but I feel I have a difference of opinion. Tell me, isn’t it honourable that a person disassociates himself over a difference of opinion? In Pakistan’s history, how many people have resigned on a point of principle?”



Nisar, however, repeated that he would continue to be a member of the PML-N, claiming he was someone who had “spent his entire life in one party [...] and never even thought of the opportunities that came my way”.

Replying to a question about frictions in the ruling party after the July 28 Panamagate verdict, the former interior minister said: “You don’t distance yourself from a ministry for no reason.”

But he refused to disclose the ‘reasons’, citing difficult times on the party and its leadership. “I cannot reveal it at this stage, because the time is not normal right now — the party has been passing through a difficult time, the leadership is in difficulty.”

Responding to another query about clash of institutions, Nisar said: “If people start speaking the truth, it will remove most of misgivings and drawbacks.”

Highlighting his performance at the interior ministry, Nisar said he was privileged to head the ministry for over four years and added he never lauded his performance and got credit of achievements.

He said due to success of the operation against militants, the graph of terrorism had come down in the country, adding “Today, Pakistan is among those countries where terrorism has decreased.”



“There is no terrorist network in Pakistan today,” he claimed, saying when he took charge of the ministry in June 2013, five to six bomb blasts were a routine.

Nisar said the operation against terrorists had entered its final phase, adding “there is need to counter terrorists with perseverance”.

He said billions of rupees were being spent on fencing the Pak-Afghan border to check the inflow of terrorists from across the border. The border “has now been completely secured so no one can cross it without legal documentation”.

Nisar took the credit of cancelling 98 million SIMs, 32,000 passports issued to foreigners, in addition to 2,000 diplomatic and official passports that he said had been issued through nepotism.

Nisar said he wholeheartedly made efforts to make the internal security in the country better. “I have tried my best in the past over 4 years to improve the security of the country.”

Commenting on the Karachi operation, the former interior minister, without mentioning Altaf Hussain, said: “Karachi is not hostage of one man now.”

Nisar also lauded the support of former Sindh chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and the MQM in this regard.

He also appreciated the role of the country’s police in combating terrorism and said their services were not acclaimed.

Nisar said because of ‘transfer of offenders’ agreements’ with different countries, convicted persons of all sort of crimes were deported to Pakistan and in many cases those persons were allowed to move free over in the country. “When I took charge I cancelled all these agreements.”

He said the matter of INGOs was a ‘free for all’ sort of thing in the country and added that it was he who streamlined the issue. He said now only 70 INGOs were allowed to operate in the country.

While talking about the National Action Plan (NAP), the former interior minister said there were 15 points out of which some were related to the federal government while others to the provincial governments.

“There are some points on which the success rate is high,” he said.