TAXILA: Estranged Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has categorically rejected reports that a forward bloc is in the making in the party. He also denied being part of such a move.

Talking to reporters at Kohistan Secretariat here on Saturday, he clarified his stance on multiple issues.

Mr Khan said he was waiting for the party’s decision about him and after that he would announce his future plans.

Answering a question about the role of Maryam Nawaz — daughter of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif — in the PML-N, the former interior minister categorically said that he would not work under her command or leadership.

Says he cannot work under Maryam’s leadership

He said he could only work with seniors in the party, adding that he was not a “political orphan” and that he would not call his juniors in the party “sir or madam”.

“I was comfortable in working with Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif,” he said, adding that he would not work under the supervision of Ms Maryam.

After multiple questions on the relationship and position of Ms Maryam in the party, he said in a jovial manner that he would have a poster behind him in his future press conferences with instructions that no questions regarding Maryam Nawaz might be asked.

News leak issue

Talking about the publication of a leaked report about a high-level security meeting, Mr Khan said that “I am disappointed with the way some media factions ran comments and statements with my name”.

He said he had written a letter to PML-N president Nawaz Sharif, asking him that the party issues should be resolved within the party.

Apparently in the reference to the statement of former information minister Pervez Rashid who urged the PML-N leadership to take a decision about him, Mr Khan said a “third person” who had nothing to do with the party wanted his disassociation with the PML-N.

He said the party leadership should have taken a collective decision on the issue of news leak. “I am waiting what decision the PML-N’s central executive committee takes on the issue,” he said, adding that if things went out of the party he would publicly comment on two issues: the news leak and the report made on it.

Mr Khan said that the issue of news leak was not only related to the PML-N. “It’s not a PML-N issue, it’s a national issue and there are a lot of intricacies involved within.”

The former interior minister said he was disappointed with the way media had taken his words out of the context with regards to the issue of news leak and the friction within the PML-N. Rejecting the claim of Mr Rashid that he was responsible for his ouster from the cabinet following the news leak issue, Mr Khan said that the decision to remove him from the cabinet was taken by a seven-member committee.

He said the committee had recommended action not only against Mr Rashid, but also against then principal information officer Rao Tehsin and then special assistant to the prime minister on foreign affairs Tariq Fatemi.

Anti-judiciary rant

Talking about anti-judiciary statements by some PML-N leaders, Mr Khan said he had advised the party leaders against issuing statements against the judiciary after the Supreme Court’s judgement in the Panama Papers case on July 28. But, he added: “My advice was not taken into consideration.”

Expressing concern over the party’s stance over the judiciary, he said the situation had worsened when judges were targeted. He, however, said that Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi were not in favour of confrontation with state institutions.

He expressed concern over the role of media in the country, saying that a large section of media had been politicised. “As a Pakistani I feel this will damage the image of the country,” he added.

He said: “We have to check ourselves first. Media, institutions, politicians need soul-searching right now. We have to clean up the system ourselves.” Mr Khan said allegations levelled against PM Abbasi regarding the LPG deal with Qatar were baseless.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2018