ISI Chief- Shehbaz Sharif verbal quarrel: Ch. Nisar's clarification
Shares
ISLAMABAD, Oct 30 (APP): Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Sunday said the 'mischievous mind' behind the anti-national interest fabricated news item published in a national daily would be exposed before the nation.
He said effort was made through the particular news to dent
cordial civil-military ties. There was a consensus on one point that
the person behind the news item published in the daily Dawn would
be taken to task.
Addressing a press conference here, the minister explained the
government's position on the publication of controversial news story
about the national security meeting and said Prime Minister
Muhammad Nawaz Sharif wanted to take the matter to its logical
conclusion.
Being a senior cabinet member, he said, he was tasked by the
Prime Minister to hold an initial inquiry into the matter.
During initial investigations, he said, it was found that
the news was false and leaked without keeping in mind national
interests. He also found a lapse on the part of Pervaiz Rashid as Information Minister, and hence he was asked to step down for
ensuring an independent inquiry, he added.
He said Pervaiz Rashid should have asked the correspondent not
to publish such a news story or he should have asked the editor or
owners of the newspaper not to run the story.
The minister said both the civil and military leadership
had consensus to expose the responsible in the matter before
the nation because it was compromising the national narrative on
non-state actors.
He said there had always been consensus between the civilian
and military leadership to indiscriminately act against the
non-state actors.
Rejecting the information given in the news story, Chaudhry
Nisar said no meeting on the national security had taken place on
the 3rd of this month, which was reported in the newspaper.
He said in a national security meeting on the fourth of this
month, the Foreign Secretary talked about realignment of Pakistan
in the region, and the newspaper's statement quoting him (Foreign
Secretary) as having stated that Pakistan was being isolated
in the world was totally wrong.
The minister termed the event quoted in the story i.e. a
dispute between the Punjab Chief Minister and the Inter-Services
Intelligence chief over action against `non-state actors'
absolutely baseless.
Baseless things were being dramatized in the media, which
was no service to the country, he added.
Nisar said a high-powered committee had been constituted
to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the matter to identity
the responsible and bring forth his designs. More members
would be added in the committee in consultation with the
Prime Minister, he added.
