Country needs united front to tackle international challenges: Nisar

ISLAMABAD: Former Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar on Saturday said the country needs a united front to tackle international challenges.

Speaking to host Saleem Safi in Geo News programme ‘Jirga’, Nisar said that a confrontation with judiciary will not yield any political benefits.

When asked about his support to the army, Nisar cited various incidents of speaking against the force each time it went against the policies of his government.

However, the former minister opined that unnecessary confrontation with the army can weaken the country's position 'which is not suitable.' 

Responding to a question about the journey from Nawaz's 'troubleshooter' to his 'troublemaker' Nisar said, "I have only tried to resolve issues in the four years of our government."

When inquired about allegations that Nisar was not Nawaz's saviour but the individual responsible for trapping him, he denied the claims.

"The Dawn Leaks' initial investigation report was given by the army and IB," he said, adding that he was the only person who spoke in the government's favour during that inquiry.

"I believe in stating the truth," he said. "Nawaz Sharif never even frowned when I criticised policies and spoke the truth till 2013, but the past few years were different and resulted in the differences with him."

He said that he always presented policy matters to Nawaz directly but since some time he was deliberately being stopped from doing so, adding that he spoke in the Cabinet following the changing situation.

"I never discussed my issues with the party publicly," he said, adding that Pakistan needs a united front to tackle international challenges.

The former minister said he believes his critics’ allegations about his style of politics being very similar to that of the armed forces were false. However he added that he learnt discipline, punctuality, and how to love the country from the armed forces, he said.

He said his introversion and reserved nature may be the reason for his critics to allege that he is arrogant.

Earlier, Nisar denounced the comparisons being made between former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and Maryam Nawaz.

The former interior minister argued that Maryam should only be considered as the daughter of Nawaz Sharif, the country's former prime minister who stepped down from leadership after the Supreme Court disqualified him in July in the Panama Papers case.

"Children are only children, they cannot be accepted as leaders," Nisar stated, adding that they are "non-political".

The interview of the former interior minister on 'Jirga' will be aired in two parts.