Will public DawnLeaks report if party doesn’t decide matter, warns Nisar

RAWALPINDI: Former interior minister and senior PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has warned his party leadership that he will make public the DawnLeaks report if the party did not call a meeting of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) on the issue.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Chaudhry Nisar told a questioner that DawnLeaks is not only an issue of the PML-N, but also a sensitive matter. “I will make public the report if the party did not call a meeting of the Central Executive Committee on the issue and statements being made against him by Pervaiz Rashid,” he said.

The government had termed the story of a meeting of the national security published in Dawn newspaper in 2016 as fabricated, while the Army had also expressed serious concern over the “feeding of a false and fabricated story of an important security meeting”.

In the light of controversy which was generated following the news report, Senator Pervaiz Rashid was removed from the post of information minister, while on the recommendations of an inquiry team, Tariq Fatemi and Rao Tehsin Ali, the special assistant to the prime minister on foreign affairs and the principal information officer, respectively, were also removed.

On allegations of Pervaiz Rashid that he (Nisar) played role in his removal as information minister, Chaudhry Nisar said if he did so then why the inquiry committee did not recommend his restoration.

He said there were many misconceptions about the issue, saying that a person (without naming Pervaiz Rashid) was making statements after over a year which had made it important for him to clarify the matter. "My first option is to resolve this matter within the party, but if it was not done, I have the option to make the report public," Nisar asserted.

The PML-N leader told media persons that he had written a letter to Nawaz Sharif, asking for a CEC meeting to be called where he would brief the party about the issue and statements made by Pervaiz Rashid. “I have been waiting for the party decision for me,” he said.

Chaudhry Nisar pointed out that person (Pervaiz Rashid) who joined the PML-N only during 1990s was saying that he would get him (Nisar) removed from the party. The former interior minister said the party should also listen to the stance of Pervaiz Rashid. “This person is publically saying he wants to remove me from the party. His stance should be heard by the party so a decision could be taken over it,” he said.

To a question, Chaudhry Nisar reiterated his stance that he would not work under Maryam Nawaz Sharif. “I am not a political orphan that I will have to work under juniors in the party and call them Madam or Sir,” he added, saying there should be dignity and respect for seniors. At the same time, Nisar made it very clear, that there was no chance of him becoming a party to any forward block.

Nisar in a light mood said he will have a paper posted behind him with instructions that no questions regarding Maryam Nawaz may be asked. “I cannot be hypocrite and I say that I can work under Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif, but not under Maryam Nawaz,” he said.

On the matter of PML-N leaders criticising the judiciary, Nisar said he had never advised the party and always condemned personal attacks on judges. Nisar said along with him, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had also stressed no confrontation with the judiciary. “Views can be expressed, but no personal attacks should be launched,” he said, adding that ultimately the decision had to be given by courts.

The PML-N leader said that both Sharif brothers had categorically stated that there should be no confrontation with institutions. He said the PML-N should also decide as to what was its unanimous narrative.

He said the coming months would tell how much the party had suffered damage due to this way of politics.