TAXILA: Interior Minis­ter Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan came out all guns blazing against his political opponents on Saturday, saying it was ironic that those who had plundered the nation during their time in power were now marching against corruption.

The minister, who was on a whirlwind tour of his constituency, visited several towns in the Potohar region and met party workers, elected councillors at Rajar, Sihaal, Koliyan Hameed and held consultations with the local representatives behind closed doors in Wah Cantt.

The pace and tempo of Chaudhry Nisar’s hectic politicking has reached electioneering proportions, and at public meetings he assured people that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was doing its best to honour the confidence placed in it by them. He said that the PML-N would not disappoint the voters.

Even though he didn’t name anyone, it was clear that the PPP was in cross hairs when he said: “It is ironic that those who didn’t leave anything standing during their five years in power; those who didn’t distinguish between halal and haram, are now leading long mar­ches against corruption.”

“Politics is based on performance and tangible actions, not rhetoric and allegations. The people of my constituency have always prioritised performance. If other voters also followed this principle, the country would be a different place,” an interior ministry statement quoted him as saying.

“The opposite is true in Pakistan today: one-sided propaganda and verbal attacks have distracted people from the principles of truth and honesty. This is the root of all our problems.”

In another snide comment, apparently targeting the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI), the minister observed that only countries that valued their institutions and settled matters in court, not on the streets, could progress. “No country in a state of anarchy has ever progressed,” the statement quoted him as saying.

He also thanked the people of his constituency for the confidence they had placed in him. “I have great respect for people of Chauntra, Rawat, Kalar Syedan and Taxila, who elected me to serve them.”

During his public meetings, Chaudhry Nisar claimed that retired General Pervez Musharraf had never wanted him in the National Assembly, but: “I am thankful to people of my constituency for their support, which I would always remember.”

When elections held under the Musharraf regime, Ghulam Sarwar Khan had won the NA-53 (Taxila, Chakri, Adiala) constituency on a PML-Q ticket, which was Nisar’s usual stomping grounds. However, Chaudhry Nisar was able to claim a National Assembly seat from NA-52 (Rawalpindi III).

The minister also condemned the Parachinar blast and condoled with relatives of those who had lost their loved ones, while praying for quick recovery of the injured. He said the government stood with the affected families in their hour of grief.

The minister also took aim at the West, urging the world to shun Islamophobia and put an end to anti-Islam policies.

“The days when every man with a beard and every woman in a hijab was considered a terrorist are long gone,” he said, a day after Donald J. Trump took over as the 45th president of the US.

In Wah Cantt, the minister’s meeting with representatives, including members of the municipal committee, district council and cantonment board, was carried out behind closed doors.

According to president of the PML-N Rawalpindi district chapter Sardar Mumtaz Khan, the meeting was a political one and party preferred to keep it in-camera.

When asked about the minister’s whirlwind tour of the region, local party leaders said that since his official engagements kept Chaudhry Nisar away from his constituency for long stretches, he was holding a mass contact drive to meet his constituents and review ongoing development work in the area.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2017