Dawn Leaks inquiry report: PM asks aides to adopt non-confrontational approach

• Senior PML-N leadership discusses options including new notification, implementation of remaining recommendations

A special meeting of close aides of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, including Federal Minister for Finance Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar and Minister for Interior Affairs Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, was held in Raiwind on Sunday, a private TV channel reported.

Besides Senator Dar and Chaudhry Nisar, Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz were also present in the meeting, which lasted for about two-and-a-half hours. The high-level meeting in Jati Umra concluded with the prime minister’s message to his team that there should be no confrontation between the institutions.

According to the channel, the senior leadership of the ruling party discussed the options available now in the situation, including the issuance of a new notification and the implementation of the remaining recommendations of the committee, as issues related to the Dawn Leaks inquiry report was discussed in the meeting to deliberate upon the situation arising out of the controversy over the report.

On Saturday, the Cabinet Division issued a notification ordering the withdrawal of the portfolio of Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi. Earlier, the Establishment Division had issued a notification, transferring Principal Information Officer (PIO) Rao Tehseen and asking him to report to the division immediately.

The action was taken in response to the alleged involvement of the two officials in the Dawn Leaks case, which relates to a story published by an English-language daily on October 6. In the story, journalist Cyril Almeida had written about an alleged civil-military rift during a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting over the issue of tackling militant outfits.

The story stirred a major controversy last year, resulting in the resignation of former information minister Senator Pervaiz Rasheed and Almeida coming under fire. An inquiry committee was formed to probe the matter and a report was compiled which placed blame on Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi and PIO Rao Tehseen, the TV channel reported.

In response to the report, the prime minister had approved the recommendations of the inquiry committee, withdrawing the portfolio of Tariq Fatemi, according to an order of PM Office. It said that the case of the newspaper editor and the reporter will be referred to the All Pakistan Newspaper Association (APNS) for necessary disciplinary action.

Reacting to the statement, the Pakistan Army had rejected the notification and said it was incomplete and not in line with the recommendations by the inquiry board. The army announced the rejection in a tweet sent out by the ISPR director general from his official account: “Notification on Dawn Leak is incomplete and not in line with recommendations by the inquiry board. Notification is rejected.”

However, Maryam Nawaz, daughter of the prime minister, denied the prime minister assigning any task to his aides. “All statements being attributed to the prime minister on media after the consultative meeting are incorrect. No one has been assigned any task by the prime minister,” she said in a tweet.

All statements being attributed to PM on media after the consultative meeting are incorrect. No one has been assigned any task by the PM.

— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) April 30, 2017