Many eyes are on Ch Nisar as the prime minister goes ahead with evaluation of ministries ahead of the cabinet shuffle. It has been difficult to keep the interior minister out of the news for long in the last 17 months, even if it has been just has hard to keep him in the spotlight for the right reasons. Initially, he disagreed most with the military in the matter of negotiating with the Taliban. Then there were reports that his relations with some of the prime minister’s closest aides were strained at best. Not much later, he almost broke off the delicate truce with the opposition that enabled the government to ride out the dharna storm. Yet he remained the PM’s blue eyed.
This past week he was in the news again; twice, and neither winning him any points. First we were told that the Joint Intelligence Directorate (JID) is not becoming a reality anytime soon, and the main hurdle is financial. Yet the interior minister did not see these problems one year ago, in Oct ’13, when he promised that the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) would be revived and the JID would be set up within six months. And, apparently, he missed the financial loop-hole again in Jan ’14, when he said the national security policy was in its final stages of formation. Now, suddenly there is a problem with finances, which must be explained in detail.
He made the news again as calls for his resignation did the rounds in the senate following the brutal police crackdown on OGDC employees. Time and again, politicians in and outside parliament have pointed at him as being responsible for Nawaz Sharif’s many falls. The interior ministry is, of course, one of the most important and sensitive ministries. In ways, its head shoulders a bigger responsibility than most other ministries’. It directly affects the survival and functioning of the state itself. The prime minister must study its performance very closely during his evaluation. He must also realise that the time has come for him to make decisions strictly on merit. But if family and party alliances continue to get preference, the government will have only itself to blame for the aftermath.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Pakistan: Eyes on Ch Nisar - Still the blue eyed?
Many eyes are on Ch Nisar as the prime minister goes ahead with evaluation of ministries ahead of the cabinet shuffle. It has been difficult to keep the interior minister out of the news for long in the last 17 months, even if it has been just has hard to keep him in the spotlight for the right reasons. Initially, he disagreed most with the military in the matter of negotiating with the Taliban. Then there were reports that his relations with some of the prime minister’s closest aides were strained at best. Not much later, he almost broke off the delicate truce with the opposition that enabled the government to ride out the dharna storm. Yet he remained the PM’s blue eyed.
This past week he was in the news again; twice, and neither winning him any points. First we were told that the Joint Intelligence Directorate (JID) is not becoming a reality anytime soon, and the main hurdle is financial. Yet the interior minister did not see these problems one year ago, in Oct ’13, when he promised that the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) would be revived and the JID would be set up within six months. And, apparently, he missed the financial loop-hole again in Jan ’14, when he said the national security policy was in its final stages of formation. Now, suddenly there is a problem with finances, which must be explained in detail.
He made the news again as calls for his resignation did the rounds in the senate following the brutal police crackdown on OGDC employees. Time and again, politicians in and outside parliament have pointed at him as being responsible for Nawaz Sharif’s many falls. The interior ministry is, of course, one of the most important and sensitive ministries. In ways, its head shoulders a bigger responsibility than most other ministries’. It directly affects the survival and functioning of the state itself. The prime minister must study its performance very closely during his evaluation. He must also realise that the time has come for him to make decisions strictly on merit. But if family and party alliances continue to get preference, the government will have only itself to blame for the aftermath.
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