Says civil-military leadership unanimous on non-state actors
Dismisses reports of dispute between Punjab CM, ISI chief
Says PTI’s proposed lockdown a ‘crime against state’
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has said that there is a consensus between the civilian and military leadership that whoever leaked the ‘false story’ of a high-level meeting should be exposed.
Briefing the media on Sunday about Pervaiz Rasheed’s suspension as information minister, Nisar said that on the basis of the initial probe he can say that there is no record as to who leaked the story.
Nisar said Rasheed did not make any attempt to stop news story from being published.
“Pervaiz Rashid should have told the journalist concerned that the news is incorrect and this should not be published in the national interest… and upon resistance he could have asked, Zafar Abbas, the editor of the newspaper, not to run the story,” Nisar said.
While refuting the events quoted in the story published in local daily, he said the report that a dispute occurred between the Punjab chief minister and the ISI chief on ‘non-state actors’ was absolutely baseless.
“There has always been a consensus among the civil-military leadership on non-state actors,” he said.
Nisar said the decision to remove the information minister from his seat was taken on the findings of the initial investigation in the matter and the army was taken into confidence before announcing it publicly.
He said an official inquiry will be conducted into the high-profile incident.
The interior minister termed the proposed lockdown of the federal capital by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as a crime against the state.
“Along with political activity, ensuring normal daily activities is also my responsibility,” he said.
Chaudhry Nisar Ali expressed that both ‘Panama Leaks’ and ‘Dawn Leaks’ will get the country into hot waters. He revealed that there are still certain facts that need to be cleared in this matter.
The interior minister let it be known that he will disclose some more facts when the verdicts come from the courts by tomorrow.
Nisar proclaimed the matter of controversial story as a high profile case. He made it evident that words were put into the secretary foreign affairs’ mouth in this matter and the entire matter was revealed in front of the whole world.
He also stated that secretary foreign affairs didn’t even mention that Pakistan is alone inside the world community.
The PML-N leader also revealed that the exchange of harsh words between civil and military leaders, as revealed in the controversial story, is completely baseless.
Nisar commented that there should be open investigations as the matter pertains to national security.
“Pervaiz Rasheed had some recorded and unrecorded data related to the controversial story and he should have told the journalist not to publish this story, however, he didn’t do anything in this regard,’ said Nisar.
PML-N leader commented that some fierce statements are coming from an old friend of his named Pervaiz Khattak, as he has inquired as to why Attock passages had been blocked.
The interior minister also commented that he would not let a mob of ten thousand people come from KP and destroy everything.
“It feels really sad that Pervaiz Khattak has made a Punjabi-Pashtun issue out of this matter,” said Nisar.
He expressed that no one would be allowed to enter the secretariat and parliament this time.
“What sort of image of Pakistan would go to the world with this kind of lockdown?” commented Nisar.
He revealed that those who oppose Section 144 were arrested during the protests.
Chaudhry Nisar also told that the burden of responsibility in Lt Colonel Shahid’s martyrdom case would not be put on anyone.