Pakistan Interior Minister offers to resign over report on Quetta carnage

Islamabad [Pakistan], Dec. 17 (ANI): Pakistan Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar on Saturday said that he had decided to resign over growing criticism following the report submitted to the Supreme Court by the inquiry commission on the August 8 Quetta carnage which highlighted government inaction against militant groups. "I went to the Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif) to tell him that I wanted to resign from my position but was told by him that the decision was unacceptable," the Express Tribune quoted Nisar as saying while addressing a press conference in Islamabad. "The report was one sided and was released without including the interior ministry's narrative," said Nisar adding "personal attacks were also hurled at me for no reason." The minister said "I had decided to respond to the allegations much earlier as the media resorted to personality bashing for the last two days,"adding "this could lead to harm to national institutions and war against terrorism as the country was facing a sensitive security situation." On Friday, following a judicial commission's damning report on the August 8 Quetta carnage, opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) lawmakers demanded that the interior minister be removed from his post. Yesterday, the PPP also submitted an adjournment motion against Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in the National Assembly Secretariat, claiming that he was incapable of playing a role in combating terrorism. Based on investigations into the Quetta incident, the report said Nisar 'displayed little sense of ministerial responsibility' and that there was a continued delay on part of his Ministry to take steps against militant groups and proscribed organisations. (ANI)