- DG ISPR terms notification ‘incomplete’, ‘not in line with recommendations by the inquiry board’ before rejecting it
- Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to PM on Foreign Affairs, PIO Rao Tehseen relieved of their duties
- PM directs APNS to take necessary disciplinary action against Zafar Abbas, Cyril Almeida
Much-anticipated drop scene of Dawngate turned ugly when DG ISPR through Twitter rejected the notification issued by Prime Minister’s Office that sacked Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi, Principal Information Officer (PIO) Rao Tahseen and directed APNS to take ‘disciplinary action’ against Dawn’s editor and reporter.
Immediately after the notification was issued by PM’s Office signed by Principal Secretary to PM Fawad Hasan Fawad, DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor rejected the notification via a tweet that reads: “Notification on Dawn Leak is incomplete and not in line with a recommendation by the inquiry board. Notification is rejected.”
The notification issued by PM’s Office yesterday approved recommendations in para 18 of a report by a committee headed by Justice Aamer Raza Khan and comprising of Establishment Secretary Tahir Shahbaz, Punjab Ombudsman Najam Saeed, Punjab Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director Dr Usman Anwar, and a representative each from MI, IB and ISI formed on November 7, 2016, to look into the Dawn story titled ‘Act against militants or face international isolation, civilians tell military’ published on October 6, 2016.
The directive has withdrawn Tariq Fatemi from the portfolio of Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and directs that PIO Rao Tehseen Ali be proceeded against under the Efficiency and Discipline Rules, 1973, on the charges based on findings in the instant report. In a late night development, Establishment Division issued a notification to the effect and ordered PIO to report back.
The role of daily Dawn/Zafar Abbas/Cyril Almeida in the instant matter would be referred to All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) for necessary disciplinary action to be taken against them.
The APNS would be asked to develop a Code of Conduct for the print media, especially when dealing with the issues relating to security of Pakistan and to ensure that stories on the issues of national importance and security are published by abiding to the basic journalistic and editorial norms, it said.
Many observers believe that the immediate response by the military after the notification has once again brought Army and government at daggers drawn.
“A very strong message has been conveyed to the government that gives away an impression that the government violated the consensus reached in the inquiry committee and that this is a breach of trust projects lies on part of the government,’ said a source.
Inter Services Public Relations’ decision to convey the rejection through social media platform Twitter has invited criticism from none other than Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar who said during a press conference that state institutions should not communicate with each other through tweets.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, while speaking to the media, clarified by saying that the notification has two parts and PM House only issued first part which relates to para 18 of the report, in which PM further ordered for committee’s recommendation to be put in action.
In the immediate aftermath of the Dawn Leaks, then information minister Pervaiz Rashid was sacked for his failure to withhold the story from being published.
“This is unfortunate that primary institutions of the state play out their differences openly. It should not have happened. The thing is state institutions should be honest to each other and take mutual concerns seriously and try to address them and, if they fail to do so, they create space for disagreement that has negative consequences for the image of the country,’ said Imtiaz Gul, notable security and political analyst while talking to Pakistan Today.
Asma Jahangir, a notable lawyer and human rights activist, said that the whole world knows about differences between Pakistan Army and the political government. “It is beyond me that why ISPR is monitoring the going-ons in the country. How can ISPR reject the missive issued by the prime minister,” she said. Jahangir rued that if the government had handled matters better, things would’ve been different.
PM orders action over Dawn Leaks report, says Dar:
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has said that the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ordered further action on the recommendations of the Dawn Leaks report.
He was talking to media after addressing a conference on SAARC Economic Challenges. Dar said the report has two parts, the para 18 of the report has recommendations, and the prime minister has ordered action on the recommendations. “These two things should be studied simultaneously,” he said.
Speaking at the seminar, organised by the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA), the minister said that the government is focused on an inclusive growth oriented budget for the next financial year. He said the GDP growth this fiscal year is estimated to remain more than 5 per cent.
ISPR tweet ‘poisonous’ for democracy: Nisar
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar on Saturday declared ISPR tweet ‘poisonous’ for democracy.
After the government removed Tariq Fatemi from his post through a notification issued by Secretary to the Prime Minister over Dawn Leaks case, Pakistan Army rejected the notice terming it ‘incomplete’.
Addressing a news conference here on Saturday, he expressed concerns over the matter by saying that there was storm in a teacup after just a notification.
Nisar said that institutions don’t communicate with one another through tweets and it was “inappropriate for anyone to handle issues through statements on social media.”
While talking about the Dawn Leaks probe, he said that no notification had been issued on the matter by Interior Ministry while assuring that it would be in accordance with the recommendations of the investigation committee. He reiterated that the PM Office directive was not the government’s last say on the matter.
Nisar then said that a notification [regarding the inquiry into the Dawn story] is supposed to be “issued by the interior ministry [and not the PM’s Office], and we haven’t issued it yet.”
“The PM’s Secretariat or the PM’s Office need to read the rules of business: they cannot issue notifications. The ‘notification’ that is being circulated is actually addressed to the Ministry of Interior is in lieu of the briefing I have given to the prime minister [regarding the committee’s recommendations].”
“The [final] notification has yet to be issued by the ministry of interior, and it will be in line with the recommendations we have received from the [inquiry] committee,” he said.
“My statement from day before yesterday is on record where I said the PM has accepted the committee’s recommendations as they are and has advised the Interior Ministry to act accordingly,” Nisar added.
“Why is there such a furore around it? I feel like we are doing this country a disservice by acting like this,” he added.
“These are monumental issues, and we are handling them with tweets.”
“It is regrettable that a non-issue has been turned into a such a huge deal.”
“Nobody will be shielded and nobody is attempting to shield anyone. Whatever the committee’s ‘black and white’ recommendations are, the interior ministry […] will use them as a basis for its notification,” Nisar reiterated.
What Asma Jahangir has to do with this issue. Its really absurd that a lawyer and human rights activist is being asked for comments on a matter of national security. Just because she holds anti army opinion?? Shame
Such kind of people like asma jehangir, itizaz , husian haqqani, rahman malik are anti state people and they only matter money but they forget that how this fort of islam came into existance and how such like people tried to wipe it out . but Alhamdullellah they will lick the dust for ever and those traitors must dissappeared . shame on such companions of devils who work against my motherland.
Pakistanis are perrenial fools. When India won the 1965 wars they claimed victory , when Bangladesh was formed they claimed victory, when kargil incursion happened they claimed victory . India conducted a surgical strike Pak claimed they did it.
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