- Interior minister says Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj should have clearly named elements hindering relations between Pakistan and India
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Monday held the provincial governments responsible for video leaks of accused currently in the custody of law enforcement agencies.
“Ministry of Interior has nothing to do with the issue of leaked videos of Dr Asim and Minhaj Qazi,” Chaudhry Nisar told the National Assembly. The minister added that the video of Saulat Mirza was leaked from a jail in Balochistan, and the provincial government should conduct an enquiry into the matter.
“The Interior Ministry has written letters to provincial government of Sindh and PEMRA regarding the leakage of Dr Asim Hussain’s video to news channels,” the interior minister said.
Regarding Khalid Shamim, who was arrested by FIA, he said that his ministry is conducting an inquiry into the matter and will soon make the report public.
Terming it as “an illegal and an unethical act”, Nisar said such coverage weakens the cases instead of strengthening them.
Last week, TV channels broadcasted two video statements of former minister for petroleum Dr Asim in which he was seen leveling serious allegations against former president Asif Zardari and his foster brother Owais Muzaffar aka Tappi.
A 37-second video statement of Muttahida Qaumi Movement worker Minhaj Qazi was also aired in which he implicated a former provincial lawmaker in the 18-year-old Hakim Said murder case.
Earlier, video statements of Saulat Mirza, the convicted killer of former managing director of the Karachi Electric Supply Company Shahid Hamid, and another of Khalid Shamim, one of the three held suspects in the MQM leader Dr Imran Farooq murder case, have mysteriously made their way to the media.
Both PPP and MQM condemned the appearance of such videos in the media and demanded an inquiry into the matter.
INDO-PAK RELATIONS:
Commenting on Pakistan-India relations ahead of a crucial meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, Chaudhry Nisar said the Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj should have clearly mentioned about elements acting as an obstacle in relations between the two countries instead of expressing her views in riddles.
Nisar doubted if Swaraj was serious about ties between the two countries, saying India knew that Hindu extremist organisations, such as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Shiv Sena, and their influence and connections with the Indian government were the biggest barrier in normalising relations with Pakistan.
The minister also questioned why the Indian government had closed the doors for dialogue if it had dedicated intentions for stability and peace in the region.
Nisar further said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s personal relations with any country or any head of the state were directly linked with Pakistan’s interests. “Indian intentions of friendly ties with Pakistan were manifested in every word delivered by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his speech to Congress in the United States,” he added.
