The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lawmakers have demanded that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan be removed from his post for his ‘mysterious absence’ and silence over the attack on Bacha Khan University; however, a spokesperson from the ministry has said that Nisar had been monitoring the situation despite his ailment.
Ministry of Interior (MoI) Spokesperson Sarfraz Hussain said that despite the fact that the minister was not feeling well on the day of the attack, he remained in touch with all concerned authorities through the MoI.
“The MoI was continuously monitoring the situation and the minister was being continuously updated. He also directed NADRA (National Database Registration Authority) to dispatch a forensic team to Charsadda to help with recognition of the terrorists.
“In the evening when NADRA presented its report, the minister directed that the report be shared with all concerned. You may recall that these details were continuously being aired by mainstream media on that day,” the representative said.
When asked why the minister had not condemned the terrorist attack at the school, the representative laughed off the assertion and claimed that the minster was one of the first few politicians to condemn the incident, soon after the attack.
“Almost all the media outlets, including TV channels had carried the minister’s statement. This is a matter of record,” the representative added.
National Assembly Leader of the Opposition Khurshid Shah on Friday had asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to appoint someone else on Nisar’s post. These remarks were expressed in the wake of the Charsadda attack.
During an informal chat with media persons in the federal capital, Khurshid Shah said every person condemned the terrorist attack on Bacha Khan University but there was no reaction from Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar on the tragic incident. He said pointing a finger at Nisar was akin to someone pointing a finger at the prime minister.
Meanwhile, the same day, senators also demanded of the interior minister to tender his resignation for failing to act against Red Mosque cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz.
MoI came under immense pressure to take action against Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Aziz after four key legal documents, asserting that the cleric was an absconder, were presented before the Upper House by Senator Farhatullah Babar.
Babar, who also sought the chair’s permission to move a privilege motion against Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan for misleading the house, said Nisar incorrectly stated in Senate that the government did not move against Aziz because of a lack of evidence in the case lodged against him.
In a policy statement presented to Senate on December 30, 2015, on the implementation of the National Action Plan, the minister had also said that if anyone came up with documentary evidence against Aziz, immediate action will be taken regardless of political considerations.
The documents Babar produced included a copy of the FIR against Aziz, dated December 19, 2014, arrest warrants issued against him, a court order declaring Aziz an absconder, an advertisement declaring Aziz an absconder and copy of an official notification issued to cellular companies to suspend services in areas in the vicinity of the Lal Masjid to prevent dissemination of Aziz’s Friday sermons.
Maulana Aziz has publicly declared allegiance to, and sought the support of the Da’ish, Babar said, adding that the government was “deliberately not apprehending him [Aziz] either because of fear or complicity.”
An FIR was registered on December 19, 2014 against Lal Masjid’s chief cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz at Aabpara Police Station upon unremitting pressure exerted from protesting civil society.
Babar said the documents, which were also available with the ministry, proved that Nisar’s statement in Senate on December 30 was not based on the truth.
He urged the Senate chairman to send the matter to the privilege committee or ask the government for a formal explanation on the contradiction between the minister’s statement and the facts highlighted by these documents.
Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani then directed that these documents be handed over to Nisar, from whom he has sought a comprehensive reply on the issue.