FORMER interior minister Nisar Ali Khan’s seemingly ongoing quest to criticise the PML-N from inside the party has stepped up further with an extraordinary attack on Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif. The bitter rivalry between the two PML-N leaders is well known, but what sets apart Chaudhry Nisar’s latest attack on the foreign minister is that it centres on a fundamental policy issue involving the country’s future. Foreign Minister Asif spoke candidly and courageously in recognising the country’s failed security policies of the past and the need for greater action against militant groups that continue to operate with impunity in the country. Now Chaudhry Nisar has responded to the foreign minister’s assertions in a manner illustrative of the deep denial that some sections of the state and political leadership continue to be in.

According to the former interior minister, the real problem of the country is the outside world’s desire to cast Pakistan as irresponsible and a spoiler of peace in the region rather than the fact that the continued existence of militant groups in the country undermines the peace, security and prosperity of the people here. What is worrisome about Chaudhry Nisar’s assertion is that until less than two months ago, he was leading the interior ministry which has a central role to play in counterterrorism efforts across the country. If Chaudhry Nisar is revealing his ideological preferences, one may well ask if he was the right person to have led the ministry tasked with ensuring law and order in the country. If he is simply trying to settle political scores with the foreign minister, he is doing a disservice to the government and the country by appearing to undermine a vital national security and foreign policy debate.

Indeed, the disaffected politician appears more concerned with staying in the headlines than doing what is right by the country. An earlier assertion that he was aware of a security threat to Pakistan that even Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi does not know about was shocking. Ought the former interior minister not to have shared that information with the prime minister or his successor in the interior ministry? Similarly, there can be legitimate disagreements over the suitability of Khawaja Asif to run the foreign ministry and how to respond to US, Indian or Afghan criticism of this country. Perhaps Chaudhry Nisar’s aim is to deflect attention away from the militancy debate because it will reflect poorly on his record as interior minister. But petty political infighting should not be allowed to undermine debates that are vital to the future peace, security and prosperity of the Pakistani people.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2017