Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif was not present in an important meeting that was held on Wednesday to review the implementation on National Action Plan (NAP) under supervision of PM Nawaz Sharif. Sources have disclosed that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif intentionally didn’t call Khawaja Asif in a meeting so that he would not meet with Federal Minister for interior Ch. Nisar Ali Khan. This was allegedly all designed to please Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan.

However, the rest of the country’s top leadership, including Federal Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Ishaq Dar, Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, National Security Adviser Nasir Janjua, Secretary Foreign Affairs Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry and other senior officials attended the meeting. The absence of Federal Minister for Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif in this important meeting held in connection with implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) has left many questions unanswered.

Sources have further revealed that Prime Minister Nawaz Shairf will sooner or later himself take over the portfolio of Ministry of Defence as Khawaja Muhammad Asif would only take care of the matters of Ministry of Water and Power that he was presently doing.

Khawaja Muhammad Asif had taken the charge of Ministry of Defence when cases of missing persons were under trial in the Supreme Court. It was impossible for the prime minister to appear before court each time in the above mentioned cases, which was why the Defence Ministry charge handed over to Khawaja Muhammad Asif.

Presently the country was facing a number of challenges and combating terrorism was the mother of all problems, but despite these facts the rift between Federal Minister Interior Ch. Nisar Ali Khan and Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif was the centre of attention.