ISLAMABAD -  Former president Asif Ali Zardari said on Sunday that those responsible for the “leaks” of a recent meeting must be punished, while those protesting on streets against the government should be pacified.

Zardari, who heads the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians, believed “wise decisions” were required to drag the country out of the crises and avert threats to democracy.

Late on Saturday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif relieved Information and Broadcasting Minister Pervez Rashid of his portfolio and his cabinet for lapses in the leakage of information about a security meeting held on October 6.

“Evidence available so far points to a lapse on part of information minister, who has been directed to step down from office to enable holding of an independent and detailed inquiry,” said a brief directive released by the Prime Minister’s Office on Saturday.

The report, which claimed civilian officials had warned the military to stop backing jihadist proxy fighters abroad, had caused an uproar and the journalist who wrote it was briefly hit with a travel ban.

Rashid’s removal comes at a particularly troubling time for the Sharif-led government, which is currently facing an anti-government protest led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan.

The Supreme Court is also taking up on November 1 the hearing a case about the Panama Papers leaks, which revealed that Sharif’s family had offshore bank accounts.

In a meeting with former Interior Minister Rehman Malik in London, Zardari said that the ‘elements’ who leaked the October 6 story regarding national security must not go unpunished.

 “There should be no compromise on the national security. The country has to be taken out of the prevailing crisis,” he said.

Senator Malik briefed the former president on the prevailing political situation in the country. They both expressed ‘concern’ over the deteriorating situation, a party leader said.

Zardari strongly condemned the attacks on the Quetta police training academy and a majlis (mourning assembly) in Karachi.

Earlier, 62 police cadets were killed in the attack on Quetta police training centre and at least five people were killed when unidentified terrorists opened fire at a majlis in Karachi’s Nazimabad area.

The former president said that wholesale action should be taken against the elements responsible for the terrorist attacks.

Senator Malik told The Nation that Zardari was committed to the continuity of democracy and did not approve the PTI’s strategy to lockdown Islamabad.

 “He is not against protests but wants demonstrations to be staged in a way that they do not become threatening for democracy,” Malik said.

The senator said that Zardari wanted the government to take steps carefully in consultation with other parties. “They must not torture the protesters,” he quoted the former president as saying.

Zardari believed the protesters should be placated through a give-and-take policy to avoid a possible bloody confrontation in the federal capital.

Senator Malik said Zardari would come to Pakistan when he deemed fit and his health improved. “Bilawal Bhutto is in Pakistan and he is the PPP chairman. Zardari will come when he likes. There is no bar on him”.

He said that the PPP will protest if the government did not accept Bilawal’s four-point proposals but will not “lock down” any city.

Separately, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited civil hospital Quetta on Saturday to inquire after the health of those injured in a terrorist attack on the police training centre.

Bilawal also criticised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and PTI leader Imran Khan.  “The prime minister has no vision,” he said.

Bilawal also lashed out at Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan claiming that adequate measures had not been taken to root out terrorism.

“The minister was silent when it was time to speak out against the terrorists. We saw our minister holding photo sessions with Taliban,” he said.

While talking about Imran Khan’s Islamabad lockdown plan, Bilawal said the PTI chief “wants to be a puppet.”