Daily Times

TAXILA: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA and former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar at a press conference in Taxila on Thursday cautioned ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif against locking horns with the judiciary as he and his family face Supreme Court sanctioned accountability references.

“My opinion is that we should fight our case in the courts with full force without any confrontation with courts. This is not right for Nawaz Sharif, the party, institutions or the country”, he said.

“I would like to believe that the courts are deciding on the facts of the case presented before them”, he added.

Responding to a question about Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif’s invitation to the United States for joint action against terrorist groups in Pakistan, Nisar said: “No sovereign country can allow for a joint operation within its borders, nor make such a proposal.”

Pakistan is a functioning democracy which has faith in the capabilities of its armed forces and intelligence agencies, he said.

He warned, “If we invite another power to conduct an operation in our country, it is like making a mockery of the country.”

“If there is such a proposal,” he said, “a similar operation should also be carried out in Afghanistan.”

“If anyone is suspicious of some terrorist or militant groups existing in Pakistan, we have proof that terrorists operate in broad daylight in Afghanistan”, he said.

Nisar’s statement appeared to be in response to an Express Tribune report that said Asif had invited the US for a joint operation against the Haqqani Network.

“We have offered American authorities to visit Pakistan with evidence of Haqqani network’s safe havens in the country. If they find any activity [of Haqqanis] in the targeted areas, our troops along with the US would destroy them once and for all”, Asif was quoted by Express Tribune.

Responding to a question about Asif’s ‘put our house in order’ remarks, Nisar asked: “Who has stopped us from cleaning our own house? No one! This is not an issue which requires repeated statements.”

“Be it the prime minister or his ministers, if they spend their time putting our house in order rather than making statements, it would be better for the country. But when it comes to repeated statements, the narrative of countries like US and India finds credence. I can only request them not to lend credence to this narrative”, he said.

Published in Daily Times, October 13^th 2017.