Meddling where he shouldn’t
The Interior Minister is possessed by an uncontrollable itch to barge into highly sensitive foreign policy related tissues. He continues, meanwhile, to neglect the vital and multifarious tasks that fall under the purview of his portfolio.
His most recent venture is the locking of horns with the European Union over the issue of illegal Pakistani migrants. He has suspended a readmission agreement with the 28-nation grouping without replacing it with a new one. Hundreds of jobless Pakistanis lured by the human smugglers in Pakistan have died on high seas or shot on border crossings while thousands are languishing in custody in foreign countries. Some of those who manage somehow or other to reach the destination are forced to work at abysmally low wages or go begging. The Interior Minister neglected his duties by not ordering a crackdown on human smugglers for over two years. With nervousness gripping European countries on account of terrorist attacks, some of these migrants are being sent back but the Interior Minister is prolonging their misery by refusing to accept them.
Once again Ch Nisar has issued a statement condemning Bangladesh despite the Foreign Office having already conveyed a balanced message regarding hangings in Bangladesh, pointing out the legal shortcomings in the judgments and calling for a forward looking approach in matters relating to 1971. There was no need on the part of Ch Nisar to shed tears after that. Bangladesh is a sovereign state where Sheikh Hasina heads an elected administration. Pakistan might have reservations about some of her policies. Statesmanship requires handling the differences with sensitivity and diplomatic finesse, qualities that Ch Nisar singularly lacks. What is more, it is historically wrong to designate Yahya’s military regime which patronised killer gangs like Al-Shams and Al-Badar as a legal and constitutional government. There is a need on the part of the Prime Minister to rein in loose cannons in his cabinet.