Ch Nisar’s footprint
It was ironic, to say the least, that the interior minister reassured the National Assembly about the noose tightening around terrorists just as mobs went on the rampage in major cities. The fallout of Sunday’s church bombing proved that public response to repeated terrorist attacks is degenerating; with an increased tendency to take the law in their own hands. But such observations were lost on Ch Nisar. It’s always easy to find faults, he complained, before explaining the host of reforms he has undertaken in the ministry.
Perhaps the interior minister would prefer and opposition and press that pay attention to Islamabad’s rhetoric rather than its actions. Following the December 16 school tragedy, it was hoped that the National Action Plan (NAP) would finally remove any obstacles in the way of all out eradication of militancy and extremism from the country. Yet there more there is talk of nooses tightening and terrorists of different “hues and colours”, on-ground facts tell of more lethal and audacious attacks. From Shikarpur to Lahore to Peshawar, the enemy continues to display its ability to regroup and strike at will. But, again, Ch Nisar would rather have the gallery appreciate what the state wants to do, even if it repeatedly proves itself a failure at doing much of it.
Also, it’s not as if his person inspires much confidence anymore. That he has initiated long-overdue reforms is appreciated, and welcome. The practice of politicising the ECL must be stopped, as Ch Nisar has rightly done. And in the modern day the ministry must be digitised, as Ch Nisar wants, and he is wished every success in overcoming odds – as he said – in this regard. But some of his recent claims have left a little something to be desired. The Lal Masjid episode, for example; when his claim of a written apology was rebutted, with nothing further from the minister. Surely he realises that as the interior minister his words represent the government. And his silence over the provocation amounts to the state accepting misleading the people. So as much as Ch Nisar wants people to understand his position, he must also respect their concerns; that they must see the good he’s promising in practice before they will offer any applause.
