The Interior Ministry on Friday submitted its objections over the Quetta commission report in the Supreme Court.
The counsel for the interior ministry, Makhdoom Ali Khan, submitted a 64-page reply raising several objections in the judicial commission report authored by Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
“It is evident that the interior ministry, and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, in the last three years have diligently pursued measures for counter terrorism. It is not denied that more work is required to eliminate terrorism from Pakistan. It may, however, be appreciated that it is due to the untiring efforts of the ministry, under the leadership of Nisar, Pakistan Army and other intelligence and law enforcement agencies that incidents of terrorism have been reduced in the last three years,” the reply detailed.
The report stated that federal and provincial governments had so far spent Rs4.6 billion as compensation to victims in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh, while Rs1.06 billion had been spent as compensation to victims in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
The counsel argued that adverse observations and findings of the commission, in respect to the interior ministry and Chaudhry Nisar were, unnecessary, uncalled-for and in violation of natural justice.
The interior ministry counsel went on to say that such remarks and observations not only denied fundamental rights to those affected, but also had an adverse impact on the morale of the persons involved. “War against terrorism is a national war, which requires unity among all institutions of the state,” he added.
“In view of the above, it is prayed that all adverse remarks made in the Quetta Commission’s report, including but not limited to those in paras 10.4, 10.6, 10.7 and 11, as well as the findings in paras 33.3, 33.14 to 33.20, 33.24 and 33.26, in respect of the interior ministry and the interior minister may be expunged.”