TAXILA: Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Saturday the committee set up to investigate the news leak crisis had found no evidence of Maryam Nawaz’s involvement in the episode and that there was no reason to make its report public.

The senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was talking to media personnel at his Kohistan Secretariat here, where MPA Umer Farooq was also present.

He said that detailed discussions on major issues should take place within the ruling party and added that former premier Nawaz Sharif’s presence in the country would serve to dispel confusions in this regard. In response to a question, he said his party was making changes in the law and the Constitution keeping in view the country’s larger interest. Any reservations over the changes would be addressed as soon as possible.

The former minister said that all the cases taken up by the military courts were forwarded to them by the provincial governments. The federal government should, therefore, not be blamed for any delay in such cases.

When asked if the PML-N would avoid coming into conflict with various institutions, he said there should be no confrontation between state organs. Also, decisions on major issues should be taken in the party with consensus.

The former interior minister told journalists that despite huge pressure he cancelled over 33,000 bogus passports. Pakistan, he said, was perhaps the only country in the world where vested interests even sold their nationality for a profit.

In response to a question, he ruled out the possibility of a government of technocrats coming into power anytime soon. He also rejected the possibility of early elections in the country.

He said he had urged his party’s leadership to drum up the support of the masses by explaining to them how their policies had helped the country make progress over the last four years.

Earlier, while speaking to representatives of various union councils in two provincial constituencies, Mr Khan urged the party cadres to join hands for the upcoming general elections.

He said that so far he had spent Rs16 billion on various development projects in NA-53 constituency even though he was beaten in that constituency in the last elections. He had spent Rs15bn in the NA-52 constituency.

The former minister announced that first phase of the under-construction general hospital in Wah would be inaugurated this month after being completed at a cost of more than Rs1.4bn.

The hospital, he said, would not just be the best such facility in Wah and Taxila but also the Rawalpindi division.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2017