Says whenever the party needed me, I stood by them
Islamabad (Pakistan Point News – 5th May, 2018) Former interior minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) senior leader addressed a press conference in Islamabad on Saturday.
Nisar said that he should explain as to where he is standing politically. That is why he called a press briefing and he wouldn’t have called it if normal situation.
He said that he wants to address PMLN workers and the people of Pakistan, particularly the people of his constituency, through this press conference.
He said, “I am not angry with the party. I don’t have any demands. The media is free, whatever they want to air, they do. I never demanded a position in the party.”
He said that he has been with Nawaz Sharif for 34 years and is a founding member of the party. “Nawaz Sharif is the leader of PMLN but there were 20 to 22 other founding members. Now, there is no other founding member in the party except me. Only Rana Tanveer was a member in 1985 but he was not in party hierarchy. Over 70% members of PMLN left the party and then joined it,” he said.
The PMLN leader said, “I had a perspective and I want to explain it today. I was the interior minister when Panama Leaks surfaced and I was among the few people who believed that they should not go to Supreme Court, I won’t tell the reason behind it as it would damage them.”
He further said, “I asked Nawaz Sharif not to make any speech against the judiciary or army. When JIT was formed, I told him to call army chief along with me and Ishaq Dar. Army brigadiers should not be in the JIT. Nawaz Sharif promised me twice but the meeting was never held.”
He went on to say that whatever advice I gave was for Nawaz Sharif. He didn’t consult his political team before going for defence in the court.
“Then I told to take steps to secure and stabilize the party. A long meeting was held at Punjab House in this regard. I asked them to put complete focus on elections. He asked me how that is possible. I told him to cut down his tone and tenor against judiciary and army. Only say that you will fight in political and judicial platforms. This will be enough to convey the message,” he added.
Nisar went on to say, “I was only in favor of Nawaz Sharif, I don’t have any cases in Supreme Court. Politics is not war, it is to find a way without compromising principles. We went to the Supreme Court ourselves, accepted the JIT and made speeches. When you go to SC and write a letter that you will accept its ruling, then if the verdict is against us, we ourselves are responsible for it.”
“If you don’t get justice from one court, you will get it from another as happened in Hudaibiya case. I can be wrong when I told him to not trust the Supreme Court and not target them. This cannot be called my personal interest,” he added.
“If I were angry, I would have taken a group of PMLN members and left the party when Nawaz Sharif was disqualified. I told them to stay in party. I convinced them to articulate their views but stay in the party. Many of the deserters called me, they didn’t listen to me and left the party,” he said.
“I voted in favor of the party and Nawaz Sharif in Assembly. I had strong reservations over Senate elections but I still cast my vote to the party members. We gave Senate ticket to four such people who were with Musharraf and four other people who were staff officers or personal servants who had no connection with politics,” Nisar added.
Nisar went on to say that whenever the party needed him, he stood by them. “I left the Ministry when I had a difference with their point of view. I am not a deserter of the party. People do stuff to get a ministry but I left it,” he said.
“Do you want to take old people along or those who flatter you? I have always carried Nawaz and party’s political burden but I never picked up anyone’s shoes. I always give my point of view but stick to them,” he said.
The former interior minister also thanked Imran Khan for inviting him but expressed his displeasure over Khan's statements about establishment.
He said that for now, he is in the PMLN but not in that party which restricts freedom of thought but there is a limit to everything.
“I have always shown unqualified loyalty to the party. Whenever there were civil-military issues, I supported Nawaz. This is no secret that military establishment has direct or indirect role in Pakistani politics but when we wash our dirty linen in public, it sends a bad image of Pakistan. What message Dawn leaks sent to the world. This was baseless,” he said.
"We will clear our debts, use avenues of our party and form a narrative. Country's security comes first and then comes party and public security," he said, and added that he will contest elections and will continue playing a proactive role in the party.
