Nisar advises PML-N not to be confused

Former interior minister says to focus on larger interest of country and party instead of individuals

ISLAMABAD: In a bid to close fissures in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has advised the ruling party’s leadership to come out of its state of confusion and focus on larger interest of the country and the party instead of individuals.

“Taking things on individual level will be harmful for all,” Nisar said during an informal chat with media-persons at the Punjab House on Monday.

“Focusing on personal matters will hurt not only individuals, but the party as well,” he said, adding that harming PML-N would create a massive political vacuum in the country.

“In the larger interest of the country, we have to move forward as it will be beneficial for both the party and individuals. Other political parties have already initiated the election campaign,” he said.

“Why did Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi talk about a technocrat government. Why should he talk about it? The election should be held on time otherwise a lot of destruction will occur,” he stressed.



About a divide in the ruling party, he said he was fed up of continuously hearing about the presence of a reconciliation group and a resistance group within the party. “The party is not divided nor does it have a forward bloc. It only has difference of opinion. And what impact would it have, I am not in a position to comment now. However, this difference of opinion should be respected,” he stated.

Nisar also advised the ruling party to avoid confrontation with state institutions in the wake of the July 28 apex court verdict in the Panama Papers case, which disqualified Nawaz Sharif as the prime minister.

“I have a view on the scenario which has evolved in the country. This process was not initiated as a result of some conspiracy. We had approached the Supreme Court although I was against the move. The SC refused to hear the case, but we still wrote a letter to it insisting to take it [the case] up. We had stated that if [SC] wanted to make a commission then it should go ahead with it. We accepted the formation of JIT,” he stated.



Nisar said one may differ with the courts’ verdict and criticise it within the legal framework, but confrontation with judiciary must be avoided.

“I preferred not to become party of government as I knew the matter would lead to conflict if the court’s verdict does not come in [PML-N’s] favour. It’s a tragedy of errors and we need to point out our mistakes as we have to protect Sharif and PML-N workers instead of creating problems for them,” Nisar stated. “Relief may only be received from the courts.”

To a question whether the government and the military establishment were on the same page and who was more accommodating, General Raheel Sharif or General Qamar Bajwa, he said ruling and governing as a whole is a difficult task. “You can’t earn respect or space forcefully. Respect others and they will respect you,” he added.

He said seven generals of the civil armed forces came under the ambit of the Ministry of Interior and he never had issues dealing with them as the interior minister.



Over the second PTI sit-in, he said the GHQ had wanted to open the blocked road, but he had refused to do so.

Highlighting the issues related to the security of the country, he said in his opinion he felt that Pakistan was facing more serious issues like the ones it faced in 1970.

He said the country is facing multifaceted challenges but unfortunately things were not being taken as they should be. He said these challenges could only be tackled with unity and everybody should avoid point scoring on the security of the country. He said it was only unity which had forced the US to review Trump’s policy against Pakistan.