Fatemi rejects involvement in ‘news leak’ controversy

• ‘Such suggestions are particularly hurtful to someone who has served Pakistan for nearly five decades with honour and dignity’

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi has rejected the allegations levelled against him in connection with the inquiry into a ‘news leak’ controversy, after a news story appeared in a leading English daily.

“I reject recent allegations, insinuations and innuendos,” Fatemi said in a farewell letter. “Such suggestions are particularly hurtful to someone who has served Pakistan for nearly five decades with honour and dignity,” he said.

Fatemi’s response comes as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday issued directives for his removal as the special assistant in line with the recommendations of the committee set up to hold an inquiry into a story published in Dawn newspaper last year.

Hours after the Prime Minister’s Office issued the directives, however, the Inter-Services Public Relations said that the army had ‘rejected’ the notification, calling it ‘incomplete.’ “Notification on ‘Dawn Leak’ is incomplete and not in line with recommendations by the inquiry board. Notification is rejected,” according to the ISPR tweet.

“Over the years, I have had to deal with many sensitive matters, becoming privy to some of the most highly classified information, on issues of national security,” Fatemi said in the letter addressed to his colleagues at Pakistan’s foreign missions.

“I have also had the honour of working directly under distinguished diplomats, both professional as well as political appointees, all of whom reposed their highest trust in my abilities and particularly so, in my lifelong commitment to discretion. You would appreciate that taking due care and caution become a second nature in our professional careers.”

Fatemi thanked his fellow Foreign Service officers for their support. “Be that as it may, my commitment to Pakistan, my passion for diplomacy and my association with the Foreign Service family will continue,” he said. He said his nearly four years long stint at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs enhanced the esteem and respect that he has always had for country’s diplomats… who bear the rigors of serving with limited resources in difficult environments, defending and promoting the nation’s interests, against huge odds.

In November last year, the government had formed a committee to probe the October 6, 2016 story, which reported the details of a high-level civil-military meeting discussing the issue of banned outfits operating in Pakistan. Initially, the PM Office had rejected the story, but the military had mounted pressure to demand a probe into the matter to determine those involved in disclosing the details of the meeting.

The committee subsequently initiated an inquiry to identify the persons responsible for disclosing the details of the meeting to Cyril Almeida, who wrote the story. The publication of the story led to the sacking of Senator Pervaiz Rasheed as the information minister, as the government realised he (Rasheed) should have told the paper not to publish it.

Fatemi, 72, was born in Dhaka in 1944. He joined the foreign service at the age of 29 in October 1969. His career as a diplomat spans 35 years, with a number of high-profile appointments around the world. Upon retirement, Fatemi joined the PML-N, assisting the party on foreign policy matters.

In the absence of a foreign minister, both Adviser Sartaj Aziz and Fatemi played a crucial role advising the prime minister on matters pertaining to foreign affairs. Before he was asked to resign, Fatemi was serving as special assistant on foreign affairs.

Apart from his illustrious foreign service appointments, Fatemi has held teaching positions at the Foreign Service Academy, the National Defence University and the Administrative Staff College, among other educational institutions.