ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has given conditional permission to Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to hold a press conference at 6 pm today after the latter's assurance that he would not speak against Senator Aitzaz Ahsan and would remove the misunderstanding that arose between the two because of his unsavoury statements against the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader.

Nisar has accused Ahsan of using the name of the late Benazir Bhutto for “business interests and personal gains” and being a facilitator of the biggest land mafia in the country (an obvious reference to a property tycoon who is close to top political leaders).

During a meeting with Nisar today, the premier directed the Interior Minister not to utter any remark against the PPP, which, he said, is supporting the government in difficult times to save democracy.

The PM said we will have to take the PPP on board over the present political situation.

The two also discussed a strategy to cope with the prevailing situation, including the ongoing joint session of the Parliament.

The prime minister had also held a marathon three-hour meeting with his interior minister on Friday after the opposition took Nisar to task over his incendiary role in the ongoing crisis.

PPP demands apology

The demand for an apology from Nisar does not only matter for Ahsan but for the whole of PPP.

“If there is no apology… Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should come forward and take prompt action against Nisar otherwise the PPP will review its position on the current crisis,” PPP Secretary-General Sardar Latif Khosa told Dawn on Friday.

“As Chaudhry Nisar has already showed his intentions to further take on the PPP leader, the ball is in the prime minister’s court to initiate strict action against his interior minister,” he said.

Former president Asif Ali Zardari has also taken strong exception to Nisar’s diatribe against Ahsan and demanded an apology from him.

Also read: Parliament unity in disarray over Chaudhry Nisar row