Chaudhry Nisar speaking at the National Assembly on Aug 21, 2013. PHOTO: screenshot from Express News.
The minister was responding to Aitzaz Ahsan's criticism on the government's performance on the Islamabad-standoff and the '17 questions' on security failures that opposition leader Raza Rabbani posed to him a day before.
"It astonishes me," said Nisar. "Just one incident occurs and they term it 'failure for the state of Pakistan'. You have every right to criticise us, the government, but how can you call this one-off incident as failure of the state?"
The minister of interior further accused his opponents of deliberately distorting facts to create chaos and achieve selfish ends.
"People here have created a fuss over and over about how Zamrud Khan is being turned into a controversial figure," said Nisar. "But we didn't do that. In fact, he hails from my area and I've always spoken about him like a friend. Who, then, is making controversial?"
Nisar brought out a bundle of documents detailing major security failures during the 13 years in which opposition parties had stayed in power, specially mentioning the attacks at the GHQ, Salmaan Taseer and the assassination of Minister for Minorities.
Rejecting rumours that the Islamabad stand-off was a security failure, Nisar said that contrary to how the incident was portrayed, Islamabad was not paralyzed because of one man with a gun.
"Only one major road was blocked. The rest of the city was open as normal. People would not have been able to arrive at the site of the incident if it weren't."
Nisar said that despite all of Zamrud Khan's bravery, what he did was wrong and uncalled for, and he should not be hailed as a hero.
"After Zamrud lunged onto the man, it was one of the bullets fired from his gun which ricocheted off and injured his wife."
"The government is neither with Zamrud Khan nor with the other one [Sikandar]. We're with the law and those who uphold it."
COMMENTS (13)
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Well I totally agree with Nisar. He is a good and sincere man and doing great job.
Well I totally agree with Nisar. He is a good and sincere man and doing great job.
@confused: You can disagree with him but don't compare him with rehman malik. Speak logically.
It was a governmental failure.
Ch Nisar is worse than Rehman Malik
When osterage is scared or threatened it will bury his head in the sand.
Yes, you are right.
It was not a security failure, but it was a failure of whole PML(N) sitting Government.
Thanks for clarification.
I agree. It was not a failure of whatever agencies or police or whatever.
It was a diversion while a more serious matter took place somewhere in the capital. Pity this nation who are still wondering what got to Sikander...
Next time there is a terrorist attack, call Zamrud khan.
Ch. Nisar is fast becoming a joke. He shouldn't be angrily giving lame justifications every second day for the repeated failures and for God's good sake, please stop quoting PPP that this and that happened in their tenure. They were by far the worse rulers we ever had. Its time to talk less and do more.
He is right..... Zamrud made an act of valor which was at the epitome of stupidity. and atleast nobody from pp or anp has any right to even call a spade a spade. even reality mirrors falseness when they say it.
No offense but he seems like on drugs. If this is no security failure in the capital, don't know what exactly is.
Chaudry Nisar should keep his childish remark in his head. At least Zamrud Khan did something. If Sikander wanted to talk to a person in charge to implement Shariah law, Chaudry Nisar should have been out on the street negotiating. Do not take away a noble deeds of Zamrud Khan by declaring it Dangerous. If we had a sense of righteousness in our thought, our society look different from what we live in Pakistan. Thanking good for nothing Chaudry Nisar Ministry of Interior.