A most harmful loyalty

Being an interior minister in any government is not an easy task – that is, if you take it seriously. Thursday’s press conference by Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan showed how seriously he took his job. He was more interested in settling scores with the party he claimed to have been loyal with for over 35 years. His body language betrayed his willingness to part ways with a prime minister in trouble. A prime minister who kept the interior minister in his job in the face of severe criticism by opposition parties.

If there is one individual who can be thought responsible for the sordid affair between the PML-N and the PPP today, as the wailing and weeping of Dr Asim serves to highlight further, it is Nisar. He was the one who advocated for Gen Musharraf to be made army chief back in the day, and again it was he who insisted that the general be allowed to leave the country in 2016. And was it not Nisar who was eagerly insistent on Raheel Sharif being given an extension? Now, Nisar has delivered the unkindest cut with his presser, on the man who has been most kind to him and perhaps will remain so.

As interior minister, Nisar’s performance was never impressive – not even at par with Ishaq Dar, Saad Rafiq, or Khawja Asif. Though the performance of almost all ministers in the Nawaz government has been lacklustre, the interior ministry under Nisar surpassed all levels of incompetence. Repeatedly, he showed his inability to provide any meaningful leadership to his ministry. Apart from addressing press conferences at all odd moments and blurting out hackneyed phrases, he never showed any commitment to ensuring a secure law-and-situation in the country – the primary responsibility of an interior minister. If just loyalty is his forte, he may get some points but that too with some reservations.

Remember the sit-ins by all and sundry in Islamabad? An almost defenceless ‘red zone’ where marauders roamed freely, not for hours and days but weeks. The Constitution Avenue that presented a sorry picture of a stinky filth dump. The Pakistan Television Station – the most important building in the situation of mass demonstrations – almost lay open for all intruders, and the interior minister wanted to score points for his loyalty. A one-man army of Sikandar, the hooligan, held Islamabad hostage for an entire day and night, and it took a PPP leader Zamarud Khan to overpower him.

The interior minister was nowhere to be seen when sectarian leaders of all colours and shades invaded Aabpara after Friday prayers every now and then, and spewed venom against other sects. He was not troubled when the Lal Masjid Brigade kept announcing open rebellion against the government. But the interior minister could not control his emotions of sorrow when notorious terrorists were killed in drone attacks. He prided himself being a ‘fundamentalist Muslim’ against any liberal and secular ideology which he always mocked and decried without even understanding what liberalism and secularism stand for.

The civil society which he equated with non-government organisations (NGOs) was an anathema to him. He made sure that the registrations and operations of NGOs become as difficult as possible. Tightening the noose against the civil society was his forte and he was never found troubled by the murders of civil society activists. His tears were waiting to roll down his cheeks when a sectarian outfit was exposed to be terrorist in nature. His famous meetings with the leaders of sectarian organisations are fresh in memory, with his beaming face and all-embracing open arms.

His special targets were NGOs and INGOs that worked in advocacy and awareness-raising. If you worked for an entity that promotes human rights and religious tolerance, you were in for a thorough drubbing by officials. If you worked for peace among the nations of South Asia, especially with India you were a suspect and your integrity was under question. You raise your voice against nuclear weapons or even highlight the angers of building nuclear reactors, you could be held for working against the development agenda. In the most trying times, the interior minister disappeared and then emerged with a bang and armed with his usual rigmarole.

Just look at the National Action Plan against terrorism and its recommendations; hardly any drew attention from the interior minister. Hate speeches blared from loudspeakers across the country with no major action taken against the violators.

Printing of hate material and distribution continued in broad daylight, even in big cities, and the ministry was oblivious of this. Religious minorities were being targeted with impunity and no crackdown was initiated by the interior ministry. And he wanted us to believe that he did his job with honesty and diligence; even a PML-N supporter would have doubts about that.

Finally, his overzealous tirades against bloggers and social media activists unleashed a frenzy of religious intolerance across the country. The lynching of Mashal Khan is just one case, there were many cases of lynching and attempted murders in the name of religion, sect, and blasphemy which can be attributed to the national paranoia created by the interior minister’s crusade against the bloggers and those active on social media. All this is enough for a clear indictment of the interior minister whose claim to fame may be his loyalty – but loyalty that did more harm to Nawaz Sharif and his government than perhaps all his other ministers put together. 

The writer holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK and works in Islamabad.

Email: Mnazir1964@yahoo.co.uk