Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar’s much-awaited press conference on Thursday was marked by a major announcement that he will leave his ministry and the National Assembly on the day of the Panamagate verdict.
Clarifying that he was not taking any extreme measure right now, "owing to the pressure of friends", Nisar nonetheless said he would resign from his ministry and the National Assembly on the day the Supreme Court announces the Panamagate verdict — "be it for the party or against it."
"My heart is no longer in politics," he said.
"This is the most difficult press conference I've ever hosted," he said. "I'm sorry but I will not be able to take questions after this."
In his nearly 45-minute long speech, the interior minister talked about his 33 year association with the party; conspiracies within the ruling PML-N; his disillusionment with politics and also gave advice to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whom he praised as a “great and humble leader”.
"I want to clarify a lot of things because of rumours. I want to talk about the situation vis-a-vis the Panamagate case," he said.
Key updates • Nisar shares details of rumoured rift with PML-N leadership • Says he was told by senior leaders not to do this press conference today • 'All my life, I've spoken the truth to Nawaz Sharif'
Saying he wanted to clarify why he differed with the PML-N leadership in a consultative meeting on the Panamagate case, the minister reiterated that he had been with the party for a long time and never considered leaving the party.
"For the past month and a half, I was suddenly excluded from the PML-N's meetings. I do not know why this was so. I was not invited to these consultative meetings, and I do not attend if I'm not invited."
"People said I'd missed the train. I don't just get on any train," he said. "I've been a victim of internal intrigues."
"I was told by senior leaders not to do this press conference today. I told them I had to," he continued.
"I had made a big decision. I had to announce it."
"I love this party. Mian Nawaz Sharif created it and grew it through a labour of love," he said. "I said this in the meeting, and I'll say it again: when I look around me, the people who helped create this party are nowhere to be found. Some have left the party; some have left the world."
"Someone who gave 33 years to this party cannot leave it just like that. But my 33 years worth of service seem to be reaching an end. It gives me great satisfaction that nobody believed that I would leave: even my opponents wouldn't believe it."
"All my life, I've spoken the truth to Nawaz Sharif. There's never been duplicity in my intentions. My role was the same as the whisperers who would tell Caesar: 'Caesar you're human'."
"It pains me to say this, but when the PML-N faced its most difficult challenge, there was a conspiracy to remove me from the consultative process."
"I want to ask: 'Why did you listen to these people?'" Nisar asked.
"When I have never criticised anyone in the party, why was I critiqued like I was?" he said.
Speaking on civil-military relations, Nisar said he had "never compromised on civilian supremacy" even though he had strong ties to the military.
"Ask any general if I've ever sought to sacrifice civilian rule for my personal political gains," he said, in apparent reference to speculations and rumours that Nisar has always been 'the army's man'.
"I do whatever it takes to maintain civil-military relations for the sake of supremacy of civilian rule," he said.
"Ask any military or intelligence leader if I've ever attempted to undermine the government for political gain."
PML-N in damage control
Nisar had been visited by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for the second time in two days in the lead-up to the press conference. The prime minister's younger brother had reportedly sought to persuade the disgruntled interior minister out of a showdown against the ruling party.
An interior ministry spokesperson on Wednesday, speaking on behalf of Chaudhry Nisar, dismissed media reports stating that efforts were being made to placate the interior minister and that he is angry with the PML-N leadership.
"The truth is that the interior minister had adopted a contrary position on some important matters in the PML-N's internal meetings, after which he was excluded from the consultative process," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the interior minister is seeking an explanation for his exclusion from the PML-N's meetings, and wants to know if the decision was made due to his opposing stance, or due to some other reason.
The interior ministry spokesperson further said that unless a clarification is provided, "it will be difficult to resolve problems in a positive manner."
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