Daily Times

Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Sunday said that he will soon apprise the nation of his differences with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif.

“I have never struck any deal in my whole life. I am not being supported by PTI nor PML-N. I will soon tell people why I chose to stand as an independent candidate,” he told a public gathering. Nisar warned his political opponents that the people of Dhamiyal will reject them with heavy margin. “I have seen survey reports … they all say that the people here will vote only for me. You all have made me proud,” he added. Taking a jibe at his political opponent Ghulam Sarwar Khan, the politician from Chakri said that he is contesting against a person who was once a close aide of former military ruler General (r) Pervez Musharraf. “He fits into every party. Nowadays he is making tall claims after taking ticket from Imran Khan,” he said, and challenged the PTI’s nominee to contest polls as an independent candidate. “If you are so confident, contest against me as an independent candidate. That will be true contest then,” he said. “As many as 70 per cent people of my area are getting water. The person who is coming here from Taxila has remained a federal minister. You should question him what he did for providing water here.”

Ch Nisar claimed that he launched the Karachi operation to restore law and order in the metropolis despite resistance from his own party. “I launched the Karachi operation,” he said, adding those claiming otherwise should check the media reports and newspapers from July to September 2013. He said he launched the Karachi operation without even asking his own party, and now there is peace and tranquility in the city. He also claimed to have played a crucial role in counter-terrorism operations in the country which were initiated in close cooperation with the army and law enforcement agencies.

Nisar also claimed to have been behind inviting the Indian home minister to Islamabad, raising voice for the glory and sanctity of Islam, and protesting against the presence of blasphemous material on social media.

Nisar said that he always served his constituents, utilised all resources in the area, and never set up any personal business ventures. He claimed that Chakri has never witnessed such a big rally. He said that the development projects in his constituency should be compared with those of Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Imran Khan and Asif Zardari and the difference will be visible.

He said the constituents will reject all those who oppose him irrespective of receiving a ticket from any party. He said the constituents of PP-10 will defeat his opponents, referring to the PML-N candidate Qamar-ul-Islam who was earlier granted ticket by the party.

Published in Daily Times, June 25^th 2018.