ISLAMABAD - It was a relatively peaceful evening for the ruling PML-N as Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in his much-hyped press conference chose to remain silent, instead of responding to the allegations levelled against him by PPP Senator Aitzaz Ahsan, for the good of ‘democracy and the country’.
Unlike the expectations of the political analysts that Nisar’s press conference would cause a major dent to the support of the opposition for the government in the present political crisis, the minister restraining himself to barb charges against the opposition lawmaker proposed for the formation of a judicial commission to investigate charges of Aitzaz against him.
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan had levelled serious allegations of misconduct against Ch Nisar and his late real brother in the other day’s joint sitting of the parliament in response to a statement issued against him by the minister.
“It is hard to choose for me as on one side is my self-respect and on the other is the future of the country,” Ch Nisar said. “I have decided to set aside my self-respect as the democracy and the future of the country are more important and (I) would let go the previous day’s incident,” he said in a jampacked press conference, which he described as the shortest press briefing in his more than 30 years long political career.
He said he would not answer the questions of reporters as “I have decided that my personal thinking, my feelings as well as ideology is not as important as that of the thinking of my party as well as the prime minister, and every member of my party is asking me to show tolerance”. He said he offered to resign as minister to the prime minister so that he could hold press conference in his capacity as member of national assembly (MNA). But the leadership is of the view that even then his response would be considered on behalf of the party.
Nisar said he was still not satisfied and the speech of Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, which is on rerecord, should be considered an FIR against him. He proposed for the formation of a one, two or three member commission comprising of judges of the superior judiciary to investigate charges against him.
“There are many judges like Justice Wajihuddin of PTI, Justice Tariq Mahmood and whosoever he (Ahsan) would like, with a bit of consensus, I leave on him,” he said. The TORs and the timeframe of the commission should be decided in this connection, he added. “And if (even) one percent of all the allegations against me proved correct, I will not only resign from ministry but also retire from politics,” he said and added he would wait for the response from other side.
The minister said it was a parliamentary practice and it was the right of every member to respond to the allegations levelled against him or her but he did not do so on the instructions of the PM. He further said when he announced holding the press conference, almost every member of each party including his own party asked him to show tolerance and patience. This was because the democracy as well as the parliament was passing through the critical and defining moment of history.
He claimed that he issued statement against Aitzaz Ahsan in response to his attack made against him outside the Supreme Court that was not reported. “But he (Ahsan) brought this issue in the parliament,” he said, adding it is a normal practice in politics to respond to attacks by political opponents, but such issues are not brought in the parliament.
Ch Nisar said that from the last 30 hours, his party was trying to diffuse the situation and he himself had received messages from across the country, including those from senior party leadership, not to hold the press conference. “I have never thought against my conscience,” he said “I have gone through a tense situation for the last thirty hours,” he said. It’s is a matter of ‘myself-respect as if I have no self-respect I have no right to remain in politics’, he said.
“I was asked to reserve my right for a better time to respond but this will be hypocrisy,” interior minister said, adding that allegations were even levelled against his late brother who had earned respect not only in the army but in the general masses as well. But bringing personal difference to parliament should not be made a tradition, he said.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held a meeting with Nisar to persuade him not to hold press conference against Aitzaz Ahsan. PM succeeded to convince him and the minister informed him that though he would hold press conference, he would not level any counter allegations. Ch Aitzaz Ahsan Saturday night welcomed the remarks of Nisar made in the press conference.