FAZAL SHER & ALI HUSSAIN
ISLAMABAD: The reported differences with the party leadership followed by reports of his illness account for Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s long absence from active participation in government affairs, well placed sources revealed to Business Recorder.
His serious differences with cabinet colleagues particularly Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif (on Taliban talks), and with Ishaq Dar (on ‘adequate’ funding for National Security Policy in the budget) have, alienate Chaudhary Nisar from the decision-making process given that the Prime Minister has overtly sided with his Defence and Finance ministers.
An official of the Interior Ministry who requested not to be named revealed that Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan visited the Ministry on Tuesday and proceeded to Lahore on Wednesday, yet political circles have been speculating about his continued absence from National Assembly. He has attended only five sessions since June 3.
Chaudhry Nisar is said to be particularly close to Shahbaz Sharif and subsequent to the incident outside Tahirul Qadri’s Lahore residence where eight workers of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) were killed and 96 injured – an event that not only embarrassed the Chief Minister Punjab but also put him on the defensive – account for Chaudhary Nisar Ali’s decision to proceed to Lahore to lend a helping hand to an embattled chief minister.
“His ailment is just a political one…he [Nisar] fell ill when a decision to launch military operation, Zarb-e-Azb, was taken in principle,” said Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Abdul Nabi Bangash while speaking in the Senate on Monday. “If he is really not feeling well, then the government should replace him with a proactive and brave minister who can deal with militants with an iron hand,” he added.
Before his reported illness on June 14, Nisar’s continued absence from the pre-budget cabinet meeting as well as the entire budget session in the National Assembly has fuelled speculation about his existing differences with some senior cabinet members on policy issues.
Interior Minister who previously had frequently interacted with the media especially every weekend has also avoided the media after reports about his differences with the party leadership.
Speculations continue that a cabinet shuffle is on the cards soon after the budget is approved and the Prime Minister is likely to replace some key cabinet members, including Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.
