Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Opposition in the Lower House on Friday demanded the resignation of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan over a report by the Supreme Court on Quetta Civil Hospital attack that was issued a day ago. Opposition leader Khursheed Shah moved the adjournment motions against the interior minister over the Quetta massacre report. “This is a highly regrettable and condemnable fact that in spite of having spent billions of rupees and laid thousands of lives against terrorism, we failed to achieve satisfactory results due to negligence and poor performance of the interior minister and institutions under his supervision,” the motions read.

It was further stated in the motion that if the same performance continued, it was feared that the achievements made by civilian and military institutions in operation Zarb-e-Azb will also be wasted. The PPP, which leads the opposition in the National Assembly, said the report by an inquiry commission of Supreme Court had confirmed that Chaudhry Nisar had spreads misinformation and his ministry was confused regarding the war against terror. It said that if Nisar continued to remain the Interior Minister, it would be tantamount to making mockery of the people affected by terrorism, so it is necessary for him to step down.

PPP leader Aijaz Jakhrani on a point of order also demanded of the government to demand resignation of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan or remove him from his portfolio on account of remarks of Inquiry Commission headed by Justice Qazi Faez Isa about him. When Jakhrani was making these commenting the parliamentarians belonging to PPP had been chanting slogans against Chaudhry Nisar. He said someone else should be entrusted the responsibility to work as the interior minister instead of Chaudhry Nisar.

“The [Interior] Ministry’s National Security Internal Policy was not being implemented. The Officers of the Ministry appear more interested in serving the Minister than the people of Pakistan,” Jakhrani further quoted from the report.

The PPP legislator said last Thursday that the Senate passed a bill regarding Panama Papers and the government should pass it too from National Assembly as according to him it’s the government which would benefit from it. He also demanded the appointment of a full-time foreign minister who should be elected representative instead of relying on some selected person.

“It does not seem that we have learnt anything from the Dhaka Fall. I want to compare the situation of Balochistan with Dhaka Fall. The rights of the Balochistan are being violated and the same is the case with the smaller provinces,” he said. The adjournment motion was submitted and signed by Dr Nafisa Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Abdul Sattar Bachani and Shahida Rehmani.

From treasury benches Federal Railways Minister, Khawaja Saad Rafique said that the day of 16 December was full of tragedies. He said the incident of Dhaka Fall was not only a military defeat but it was also a political defeat. “Efforts were made to deal with East Pakistan on the behalf of West Pakistan as though they were subjects. We didn’t learn from the report of Justice Hamoodur Rehman Commission. We have been commenting mistakes and never uttered a word of regret,” he said.