Ch Nisar’s credibility

Some clarification, please

So much for the interior minister’s credibility. The case of Maulana Aziz’s mysterious letter of apology seems another one of those unforced errors that leave him in an awkward position. But Ch Nisar doesn’t seem to mind some egg on his face now and then. The matter of the letter is simple enough; either one was written or it was not. And if one was, it would not be too difficult to prove its authenticity; like Musharraf silenced critics by flying Saad Harir all the way from Beirut with Nawaz Sharif’s exile agreement for public consumption. But if one wasn’t written, as the lal masjid alleges, then the matter becomes very serious indeed.

Why would the interior minister mislead the public with false information? And, considering his version to be true, how would an apology take the pressure off Abdul Aziz? Also, the argument that arresting him would divert attention from Zarb-e-Azb exposes loopholes in execution of the National Action Plan. Surely the minister realises that, by virtue of his position, his words on national security, etc, are a direct reflection of national policy. And if apprehending the lal masjid cleric, who openly sympathises with enemies of the state, disturbs the operation, perhaps Ch Nisar should enlighten the public about what NAP meant by aiders, abettors and sympathisers of the enemy?

Again, this is not the only time Nisar has either deliberately misled people or been in the dark himself, neither of which is a good reflection on the interior minister. Just the other day, as he calmed nerves in Washington about a possible Da’ish foothold in Pakistan, saying “with confidence” that “ISIS only exists in the Middle East”, the foreign office had an altogether different revelation. It seems the government, or at least the foreign office, is taking the threat very seriously, directing “all concerned authorities” to be watchful. How “all concerned authorities” can be engaged without the knowledge of the interior minister remains, at least for now, a complete mystery. Ch Nisar must dispel the impression very quickly that he is not being honest about the war on terror. He already has a dubious track record with respect to the Taliban. Didn’t he want to keep talking, and was reportedly upset when the army initiated the operation after the Karachi airport attack? As warned before, the post-Peshawar momentum is in danger of fizzling out. And if this opportunity, too, is lost, the interior minister must take his share of the blame.