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India-Pakistan

Chaudhry Nisar’s exit into wilderness

2018-06-28

[DAWN] THE break between the Sharifs and the Chaudhry from Chakri is finally official with the announcement of PML-N ticket holders in his constituencies. A predictable end, it has been months, if not years, in the making. There is no doubt, however, that the rift grew wider as did Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf, then by the courts... ’s distance to power. If the differences started to become clear with the disqualification, the end was made official with the ticket distribution. This is usually the routine for political separations ‐ they tend to happen once leaders are out of power. In Nisar’s case, the final break came not over the end of the PML-N’s tenure but the latter’s (or rather Nawaz Sharif’s) refusal to give the party ticket to the former. The initial list of PML-N candidates had not mentioned any candidates for the constituencies Nisar Ali Khan had filed his papers from, leading to many a conjecture. Some felt that Shahbaz Sharif ...Pak dynastic politician, brother of PM Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab... (who continues to maintain a better relationship with Khan than his brother) had prevailed while others felt that there had been a rapprochement between the party and the leader. But it turned out that Nisar and the party were not just on a break; it was over. Admittedly, this is not unique to the PML-N; parties in Pakistain tend to revolve around individuals. As a result, any difference of strategy, principle or opinion ends up as an ugly clash of egos and a bitter separation. From the time of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto ...9th PM of Pakistain from 1973 to 1977, and 4th President of Pakistain from 1971 to 1973. He was the founder of the Pakistain Peoples Party (PPP). His eldest daughter, Benazir Bhutto, would also serve as hereditary PM. In a coup led by General Zia-ul-Haq, Bhutto was removed from office and was executed in 1979 for authorizing the murder of a political opponent... to the present generation, there appears to have been little change. Anyone not willing to prostrate before the reigning monarch has had to exit, ungracefully.

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India-Pakistan

PML-N fields candidates against Chaudhary Nisar

2018-06-25

[DAWN] The Pakistain Moslem League-Nawaz on Sunday announced to field its candidates against the disgruntled PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ...Former Interior Minister of Pakistain under Nawaz Sharif. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Uncle Fester Sharif. He is noted for his vocal anti-American railing in the National Assembly. However (comma) Khan told the U.S. ambassador that he was in fact pro-American but he and the PML-N would have to be critical of US actions in order to remain publicly credible. Khan cited his wife and children's US citizenship as proof, which means he's lying to one side or the other and probably both. He wears a wig, but you probably guessed that, since hair doesn't grow naturally in that shape or texture... , who is contesting the upcoming general elections as an independent candidate, DawnNewsTV reported. The party fielded Mumtaz Khan and Raja Qamar Islam from NA-63 and NA-59, respectively. Both candidates will be contesting against the former interior minister. PML-N had at first said that Nisar would be awarded a ticket from the party if he chooses to appear before the party's board. However, man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... Nisar refused to do so, saying that as a "candidate who won eight consecutive elections and who never had to ask for a ticket in the past", he would not ask for his place in the election.

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India-Pakistan

Indian govt biggest obstacle in Mumbai attacks trial, says Nisar following Nawaz's question. Honest.

2018-05-14

[DAWN] Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ...Former Interior Minister of Pakistain under Nawaz Sharif. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Uncle Fester Sharif. He is noted for his vocal anti-American railing in the National Assembly. However (comma) Khan told the U.S. ambassador that he was in fact pro-American but he and the PML-N would have to be critical of US actions in order to remain publicly credible. Khan cited his wife and children's US citizenship as proof, which means he's lying to one side or the other and probably both. He wears a wig, but you probably guessed that, since hair doesn't grow naturally in that shape or texture... on Sunday stressed that the uncooperative attitude and stubbornness of the Indian government has been the biggest obstacle in the Mumbai terror attacks trial reaching a conclusion. Nisar's comments comes in the wake of a statement by ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf, then by the courts... that has been spun by the Indian media as a tacit admission of Pakistain's involvement in the 2008 attacks that left 166 people dead. In an exclusive interview with Dawn on Friday, Sharif had criticised the apparent delay in the conclusion of the Mumbai attacks trial. "Militant organizations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can’t we complete the trial?" Sharif had asked in the interview. Criticising the country's foreign policy, Sharif had added: "We have isolated ourselves. Despite giving sacrifices, our narrative is not being accepted. Afghanistan’s narrative is being accepted, but ours is not. We must look into it." Nisar, in a statement issued on Sunday on "Nawaz's statements and the Indian media's reaction", emphasised that the Indian government was to blame for the hold-up in the Mumbai attacks trial. "I say with full responsibility that the delay and slow pace of the Mumbai attacks-related case in Pakistain was not Pakistain's doing but was a result of non-cooperation and stubbornness by India," said the disgruntled PML-N member. Nisar, under whose watch the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was investigating the Mumbai attacks, said that since the assault took place in the Indian financial capital, it was the Indian government which possessed "90 per cent of the evidence and facts" of the incident.

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India-Pakistan

Nawaz named PML-N’s Quaid for life

2018-02-28

[DAWN] In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision striking down a controversial amendment to the Elections Act 2017 that allowed ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf, then by the courts... to resume party leadership after being disqualified in the Panama Papers case, the Central Working Committee of the ruling Pakistain Moslem League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Tuesday elected Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard 2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers 3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif ...Pak dynastic politician, brother of PM Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab... its interim president and the former its Quaid (supreme leader) for life. While the Sharifs had made almost a similar arrangement by making Javed Hashmi the party president and Nawaz Sharif, who was then in exile, the Quaid during the military rule of Gen Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... , questions are being raised whether or not the fresh move allowing the elder Sharif to become the party’s supreme leader this time was in violation of the SC verdict. To elect both brothers to their new offices, CWC members including Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Azad Jammu and Kashmire Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Senator Pervaiz Rashid attended the meeting at the Sharif family’s Model Town residence, where maverick Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ...Former Interior Minister of Pakistain under Nawaz Sharif. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Uncle Fester Sharif. He is noted for his vocal anti-American railing in the National Assembly. However (comma) Khan told the U.S. ambassador that he was in fact pro-American but he and the PML-N would have to be critical of US actions in order to remain publicly credible. Khan cited his wife and children's US citizenship as proof, which means he's lying to one side or the other and probably both. He wears a wig, but you probably guessed that, since hair doesn't grow naturally in that shape or texture... was conspicuous by his absence.

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India-Pakistan

'Won't work under leadership of children,' says Nisar on conflict with Maryam Nawaz

2018-02-12

[DAWN] Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ...Former Interior Minister of Pakistain under Nawaz Sharif. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Uncle Fester Sharif. He is noted for his vocal anti-American railing in the National Assembly. However (comma) Khan told the U.S. ambassador that he was in fact pro-American but he and the PML-N would have to be critical of US actions in order to remain publicly credible. Khan cited his wife and children's US citizenship as proof, which means he's lying to one side or the other and probably both. He wears a wig, but you probably guessed that, since hair doesn't grow naturally in that shape or texture... said on Saturday he has made it clear that he would not serve in the ruling PML-N under the leadership of "juniors" ‐ a reference to Maryam Nawaz who is widely tipped to assume the mantle of the party in the future. When questioned at a presser in Taxila about his previous remark that Maryam lacked the experience to lead PML-N, Nisar in turn asked whether he had said anything wrong at the time. "You tell me, can I work under children?" he said in a reference to Maryam, adding that "a person has some dignity." He added that if such situation arises where he is asked to serve under a junior, he will take a decision once it happens.

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India-Pakistan

Police fired on protesters outside Nisar’s house, says intel report

2017-12-02

[DAWN] Policemen fired on protesters from religious groups to stop them from breaking into the residence of former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ...Former Interior Minister of Pakistain under Nawaz Sharif. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Uncle Fester Sharif. He is noted for his vocal anti-American railing in the National Assembly. However (comma) Khan told the U.S. ambassador that he was in fact pro-American but he and the PML-N would have to be critical of US actions in order to remain publicly credible. Khan cited his wife and children's US citizenship as proof, which means he's lying to one side or the other and probably both. He wears a wig, but you probably guessed that, since hair doesn't grow naturally in that shape or texture... , critically injuring four people, says an intelligence report sent to the Islamabad chief commissioner. Compiled on November 25, the report states that the men were subsequently shifted to Benazir Bhutto ... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in... Hospital for treatment, but does not contain details of their identity, or explain what subsequently happened to them. In their situation report, Special Branch officials maintained that around at least 90-100 police personnel were present inside the former minister’s residence when around 1,500 protesters attacked the police party, which retaliated with teargas. "Protesters broke down the main gate of Chaudhry Nisar’s residence and set fire to an adjacent CNG filling station. When they attempted to enter Chaudhry Nisar’s house, coppers fired gunshots injuring four people who were later shifted to Benazir Bhutto Hospital," the report said. The former minister has already denied claims that four of those who died in the violence that broke out on Saturday were shot by coppers outside his house. Earlier, Chaudhry Nisar had lashed out at his successor, Ahsan Iqbal, for making "baseless claims" regarding the deaths of protesters outside his residence.

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India-Pakistan

134 arrested in skirmishes at Faizabad moved to Adiala jail

2017-11-21

[DAWN] Police have moved 134 people, tossed in the calaboose Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! during sporadic festivities between law enforcement agencies and sit-in protesters, to Adiala jail. According to sources, none of the suspects taken to Adiala jail are prominent religious leaders. Out of all the cases registered with the police against the protesters, three have been registered on charges that include section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act. The protest is being led by the Tehrik Labaik Ya Rasool Allah and Sunni Tehrik ...formed in Karachi in 1992 under by Muhammad Saleem Qadri. It quickly fell to trading fisticuffs and assassinations with the MQM and the Sipah-e-Sahaba, with at least a half dozen of its major leaders rubbed out. Sunni Tehreek arose to become the primary opposition to the Deobandi Binori Mosque, headed by Nizamuddin Shamzai, who was eventually bumped off by person or persons unknown. ST's current leadership has heavily criticized the Deobandi Jihadi leaders, accusing them of being sponsored by Indian Intelligence agencies as well as involvement in terrorist activities... parties, and has continued for 12 days. A senior Rawalpindi police official said the police have already been placed on alert in the city, as personnel have been deployed at Faizabad, Koral and on I.J. Principal Road to prevent the protesters from entering the city. "We are taking all possible measures to maintain peace in [Rawalpindi]," a senior police official said, adding that additional police personnel have been deployed around the residence of former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ...Currently the Interior Minister of Pakistain. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Nawaz Uncle Fester Sharif. He is noted for his vocal anti-American railing in the National Assembly. However (comma) Khan told the U.S. ambassador that he was in fact pro-American but he and the PML-N would have to be critical of US actions in order to remain publicly credible. Khan cited his wife and children's US citizenship as proof, which means he's lying to one side or the other and probably both. He wears a wig, but you probably guessed that. since hair doesn't grow naturally in that shape or texture... in Faizabad, which is a few hundred metres from the site of the sit-in.

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India-Pakistan

Nisar says PM should not be making courtesy calls to US after latest drone strike

2017-09-21

[DAWN] In a strongly worded speech in the National Assembly (NA), former interior minister Chaudhar Nisar Ali Khan on Wednesday criticised Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for making a "courtesy call" on US Vice resident Mike Pence. Continuing his recent criticism of the federal government's relationship with the US, Nisar said: "There is no need for us to be paying courtesy calls to the US; in fact, after the latest dronezap, there should be a strong condemnation sent their way." "A resolution against Pakistain was passed in the latest BRICS conference held in China ‐ Pakistain's greatest friend. This shows the amount of convincing [by Pakistain's detractors] that went into getting that resolution passed," he continued. "I call it a resolution against Pakistain because the organizations that have been named in it have existed in Pakistain," Nisar said, adding that India had tried to pass a similar resolution in the previous BRICS conference, "but after failing to do so last year, India spent its time lobbying and managed to get the resolution passed in the latest conference." "My question is, when India was lobbying for the resolution, why was Pakistain not making contact with friendly members of BRICS ‐ like Brazil, Russia and China ‐ to make sure that the resolution was blocked again?" Nisar added that diplomacy is not an "on and off game between two meetings," rather it is a full-time job to keep a country in touch with its allies at all times.

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India-Pakistan

Nisar chides Asif for remarks about banned outfits

2017-09-18

[DAWN] Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ...Currently the Interior Minister of Pakistain. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Nawaz Uncle Fester Sharif. He is noted for his vocal anti-American railing in the National Assembly. However (comma) Khan told the U.S. ambassador that he was in fact pro-American but he and the PML-N would have to be critical of US actions in order to remain publicly credible. Khan cited his wife and children's US citizenship as proof, which means he's lying to one side or the other and probably both. He wears a wig, but you probably guessed that. since hair doesn't grow naturally in that shape or texture... assailed Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday over his remarks about banned outfits, saying that comments on sensitive and important matters must be based on facts and record and not on assumptions and riddles. In a statement issued by his front man, Chaudhry Nisar pointed out that 26,000 people laid down their lives while over 70,000 sustained injuries in the war on terrorism. He said that Pakistain also suffered a loss of over $100 billion as a frontline state in the war. Mr Asif in a recent TV interview had stressed the need "for putting our own house in order" and keeping tabs on banned ...the word banned seems to have a different meaning in Pakistain than it does in most other places. Or maybe it simply lacks any meaning at all... organizations, including Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba ...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI... , admitting that the groups were operating from within Pakistain. In another interview he said that he stood by his words. Chaudhry Nisar regretted that despite the sacrifices, some people not only criticised and pointed fingers at Pakistain, but also made it a target of derision. "The reason is that we provide the world an opportunity to ridicule us and put the blame of their failures on us, due to our irresponsible attitudes and statements," he noted. He said it was quite strange that at a time when the army chief was asserting that Pakistain had rendered enormous sacrifices and the world must acknowledge this and should ’do more’, the foreign minister and the interior minister were taking the position that Pakistain should do more. He said that these two persons had been ministers for the past four and a half years. "Did they ever express these views in the meetings of the cabinet or National Security Committee? Does the minister realise how much his statement was played up and publicised in India and how it was used by that country to substantiate its baseless claim that the problem is with Pakistain?" he asked. "This is also a fact, unfortunately, that such statements are made to criticise our intelligence agencies and armed forces. But if this is the case then one should have the moral courage to do plain talk rather than asking riddles," Chaudhry Nisar said. He said that of course there were some weaknesses and shortcomings vis-à-vis national security but these issues should be addressed through consultation, hard work and consensus. "One should not make fun of it before the entire world through statements. National security issues are very sensitive and one should consider national interest before speaking about such matters." He asked if there was not a visible improvement in the internal security situation today as compared to the one that the country faced in 2013-14. "What made this possible were joint efforts and not under any coercion or help from outside." Federal and provincial governments, arm-ed forces, civil armed forces, and intelligence agencies contributed to the joint efforts, he added.

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India-Pakistan

Low bar on terror

2017-09-17

[DAWN] WHEN you have very low expectations of somebody, you are unlikely to be surprised or disappointed when the person fails to deliver. But even with this minimal bar, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, our ex-interior minister, is in a class of his own. For years, instead of a sound counterterrorism strategy, we have had countless press conferences justifying his string of failures. Clearly, this is a man who likes the sound of his own voice. In a recent interview, he uttered this gem: “Politics, especially governance, is both an art and a science.” Sadly, he could master neither, with his recent stint in government serving as a lesson in what not to do when in power. When he went on to say that “he had always tried to manage things”, we can only give him an ‘E’ for effort. For the rest, he gets an ‘F’ for failure. As jihadists slaughtered hundreds on his watch, he had to be dragged to sign off on the National Action Plan. Before the bloody attack on a school in Peshawar in December 2014 that killed over 130 children, he was the keenest proponent of talks with the militants, together with Imran Khan. But even when a sensible plan had been hammered out, our hero dragged his feet over its implementation. Out of the scores of committees and sub-committees set up to monitor progress and implementation, one wonders how many actually met. Thus, of all the lofty goals of reviewing curricula to eliminate extremist content; controlling the thousands of madressahs that have proliferated across Pakistan; preventing hate speech from being broadcast from mosques and TV studios; boosting intelligence-sharing between agencies and provinces; and improving the legal system, none have been met. Whenever he was asked about NAP’s progress, Nisar would shrug his narrow shoulders, and pass the buck on to the provincial governments; he was probably not pressed too hard by his cabinet colleagues. If ever there was a candidate for dismissal, resignation, or, indeed, hara kiri, it was our ex interior minister. I have never met him, but his lack of contact with reality was revealed when, in response to our new foreign minister’s sound advice that we needed to put our own house in order, Nisar replied: “With friends like him, who needs enemies?” So clearly, he remains convinced that he did a great job, and our ambivalent attitude towards jihadists and, more generally, towards extremism, is sound. Dream on, Chaudhry Sahib.

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India-Pakistan

'Peanuts, not billions of dollars': Nisar assails Trump's claims of aid for Pakistan

2017-08-31

[DAWN] Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ...Currently the Interior Minister of Pakistain. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Nawaz Uncle Fester Sharif. He is noted for his vocal anti-American railing in the National Assembly. However (comma) Khan told the U.S. ambassador that he was in fact pro-American but he and the PML-N would have to be critical of US actions in order to remain publicly credible. Khan cited his wife and children's US citizenship as proof, which means he's lying to one side or the other and probably both. He wears a wig, but you probably guessed that. since hair doesn't grow naturally in that shape or texture... on Wednesday lambasted the new policy for Afghanistan and South Asia announced by US President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... , saying Pakistain was not responsible for the failure of US and its allies in Afghanistan. Nisar also ridiculed Trump's claim that the US has paid "billions and billions of dollars" to Pakistain and called on the government to issue the record of the past 20 years to "expose" American claims. "It's not billions of dollars, it's peanuts," the former interior minister said while addressing the National Assembly. Nisar said that Coalition Support Fund payments from the US were for services rendered by Pakistain in the fight against terrorism. He also criticised the US for dragging its feet in making payments from the military fund, adding: "If our bill [for military services] is $500 million, they [US] sit on it for months [...] and end up giving us $200 million." "They have ruined our roads, our airspace and our country, but are not ready to pay for the expenses." "Put your money where your mouth is," Nisar railed, adding that the US has been able to point fingers because Pakistain did not keep a proper record of American assistance.

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India-Pakistan

Facebook rejects Pakistan request to link all accounts with phone numbers

2017-07-16

[DAWN] Social media giant Facebook has refused to comply with Pakistain's request to link all Facebook accounts with phone numbers, Voice of America (VOA) reported on Saturday. Pakistain had made the request when Facebook Vice President Joel Kaplan met with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ...Currently the Interior Minister of Pakistain. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Nawaz Uncle Fester Sharif. He is noted for his vocal anti-American railing in the National Assembly. However (comma) Khan told the U.S. ambassador that he was in fact pro-American but he and the PML-N would have to be critical of US actions in order to remain publicly credible. Khan cited his wife and children's US citizenship as proof, which means he's lying to one side or the other and probably both. He wears a wig, but you probably guessed that. since hair doesn't grow naturally in that shape or texture... last week. The purpose of the request was to curb the usage of fake profiles to post blasphemous content and make it easy for authorities to trace users. However, nothing needs reforming like other people's bad habits... in an e-mail to VOA, Facebook has confirmed that it has decided to not comply with the request to continue protecting its customers' rights. The policy for creating new accounts would remain unchanged, Facebook added. It also confirmed that the request had been made by Pak authorities to deal with the menace of fake profiles.

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