Warm handshake does a lot to break the ice
ZULFIQAR AHMAD & FAZAL SHER
ISLAMABAD: A warm handshake on Tuesday did a lot to break the ice after Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, informed sources told Business Recorder.
Sources revealed that the Prime Minister assured Nisar Ali that the latter is in-charge of internal security issues in the country, adding “no one dare interfere in matters of your ministry (interior ministry) in the presence of such a capable minister”.
Chaudhry Nisar had been staying away from important meetings related to National Action Plan (NAP), apex committee meetings especially in the wake of major terrorist attack that killed 47 Ismailis in Karachi, which insiders said, was due to his growing differences with the prime minister.
The sources privy to the development told Business Recorder that the reservations of the interior minister especially with respect to low allocation of funds to National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) and interference in matters related to his ministry by his cabinet colleagues were considerably eased.
The Prime Minister has also assured the interior minister that adequate funds will be allocated for the NAP and the Nacta in the federal budget for the year 2015-16. Nisar had often described the shortage of funds as one of the major reasons behind Nacta’s poor performance.
They said that besides Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, the meeting was also attended by Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique, and Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his close associates have agreed to take strict action against corrupt elements in every department without any discrimination by adopting Chaudhary Nisar’s line of action.
The sources said that the interior minister held a detailed meeting with prime minister about law and order situation in the country, the Karachi operation, issues related to his ministry, Nacta and implementation of NAP.
The prime minister expressed his full satisfaction at the way the interior ministry performs and assured his all out support to the minister. Given Nisar’s track record as an old party loyalist, the sources quoted the prime minister as telling Nisar that he is fully independent to take decisions related to issues like the one he took in the ongoing fake degree scandal by Axact.
The interior minister presented NISP in parliament for approval for the first time in the country’s history and sought some Rs22 billion for its implementation. But the ministry was not disbursed a single penny despite Chaudhry Nisar’s repeated efforts, which gave birth to differences.
