ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has offered his resignation to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over Supreme Court’s report on the Quetta hospital massacre.
“I went to the prime minister yesterday, told him if my expression embarrasses the government then I would resign to set the record straight. He said that is unacceptable to him, which is why I am standing here in front of you today to tell you the other side of the story,” Nisar said while addressing to media in federal capital Islamabad.
Nisar’s remarks came after an inquiry commission under the Supreme Court slammed the federal interior minister, the Balochistan chief minister and home minister for providing misleading information following a deadly terrorist attack in Quetta which claimed 70 lives and injured as many as 112 people earlier this year.
On August 8, a powerful explosion ripped through Civil Hospital in Quetta when Balochistan Bar Association President Bilal Kasi’s body was being brought to the emergency department. Kasi was gunned down in a targeted killing earlier that day.
“The [Interior] Ministry’s National Security Internal Policy is not being implemented. The Officers of the Ministry appear more interested in serving the Minister than the people of Pakistan,” said the inquiry report.
“Forensic tools are not being used to aid in tracing the perpetrators of terrorist attacks, and rudimentary methodologies to examine crime scenes, etcetera, have just not been developed or standardised,” the report stated.
Nisar told reporters “I read this report in the papers, spiced up, thanks to the media,” he said. “I am not a lawyer but I fail to understand how a report was created without the interior ministry’s narrative in it, it is one-sided.”
“It hurt me to see the papers the next day. They accused me of lying to the public,” he added.
“I am a flawed man but I try and do the right thing, I do not lie to you (media). The security of this country is extremely sensitive. A personal blow to me is one thing but a blow to the national security is another matter.”
“People were against my speaking about the report but I was adamant to clear the matter and bring you the other side of the story.”
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said he had held a meeting with a delegation of Difa-e-Pakistan Council, and not members of banned Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), to discuss the matter of computerised national identity cards (CNICs).
Chaudhry Nisar said it was the jurisdiction of district administration to allow rallies, not his.
In response to question about a meeting of National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) never having taken place, the minister said a meeting of the Nacta executive committee was held in December 2014.
Responding to a query about Board of governor’s meeting, he said the question pertains to the PM House.
Answering a question about appointment of special secretary in Ministry of Interior, Nisar said the appointment was in accordance with rules and regulations.
