Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Tuesday admitted that his wife and children were US nationals, but strongly reacted to the use of some extracts from WikiLeaks, saying the way some sections of the media was portraying certain released cables was highly regrettable.
“I am hurt since those who are subservient to the foreign powers are casting doubts over my love for the country,” Nisar said at a press conference arranged to clarify his position. “My in-laws are settled in the US and my wife had US nationality at the time of my marriage in 1980s,” he stated. In order to justify his position regarding his children’s nationality, Nisar, who repeatedly said he had “kept his family affairs private”, was left with no option than to mention a family dispute after which his wife and children left for the US for a short span of time.
“When I came to know that my children are being given US nationality, I reacted and sent a legal notice to the US embassy in Islamabad through my lawyer Akram Sheikh. The legal notice is still on record,” he said. “My children were given US nationality despite my disagreement with the US Consulate in Lahore,” he added. A WikiLeaks cable published in the press stated that Nisar’s wife and children had US nationality and he had admitted to have visited the US embassy in London to renew his daughter’s passport, because he wanted to avoid being seen at the US embassy in Islamabad.
Nisar refuted the assertion, saying the “passports of his children were renewed from Islamabad”. To a question regarding status of his children’s nationality, he said according to the US laws parents could not force children to surrender their nationality since the decision was taken by the children when they reached the age of puberty. He said for last 25 years, his family only visited the US once for medical treatment.
— decides to resign as PAC chairman
ISLAMABAD – Opposition Leader Nisar Ali Khan has decided to resign from the position of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman, citing unavoidable circumstances. Sources told Online that Nisar would forward his resignation to the National Assembly Speaker within the next few days.
The top leadership of the PML-N had also approved Nisar’s decision to quit as PAC chairmanship. Addressing a press conference, the opposition leader said his track record as a politician was unblemished. He said nobody could point finger at him as he never compromised the national interest. Online
