ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif has ratified the recommendations of the Dawn leaks Inquiry committee, and has withdrawn the portfolio of Advisor on Foreign Affairs from Tariq Fatemi.
According to a notification from the PM Office, Action against Rao Tehseen Ali, the principal information officer at the Foreign Ministry, will be taken once the findings of the report are done.
It also included the role of the editor of Dawn Newspaper, Zaffar Abbas, and reporter Cyril Almeida will be referred to the All Pakistan Newspaper Association (APNS).
APNS needs to develop a code of conduct for the media, especially the print media, stated the notification.
The Nation’s Editor Saleem Bukhari while giving his analysis to Waqt News said, “The case has been handled very well. Now it has to been seen how the Army reacts to it, we have to wait for their statement. If ISI and MI was involved in the inquiry committee then this report shows that the issue has been resolved amicably.” Regarding Pervaiz Rashid he said, “If Pervaiz Rashid is innocent then there seems to be no reason why he should not be back to his position.”
Maj General Zahid Basheer (retd) while speaking to Waqt News said, “Tariq Fatimi is being made a scape goat. At his post he has nothing to do with this case.” He further said, “If he was involved, he should be taken to court and the army should take action on it.”
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s leader Imran Ismael said, “If Tariq Fatimi is the culprit then dismissing him from his post is not enough. He should be tried in court and treated like a traitor. He should be sent to jail and dealt with like Kulbhushan Jadhav is being dealt.”
According to reports, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday approved recommendations of the probe committee over Dawn Leaks including one to sack Special Assistant to PM on Foreign Affairs, Tariq Fatemi.
It was reported that the report compiled by probe committee of Dawn Leaks recommended sacking Tariq Fatemi as well as Principal Information Officer Rao Tehseen.
Sources privy to the Ministry of Interior reported that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday and discussed the key points of the probe report over Dawn Leaks issue.
Reportedly, the committee had recommended the government to sack Fatemi and Tehseen, a senior civil servant who is serving as the PIO since February 2014.
Over 15 journalists, administration of the English daily concerned and editors among other officials were interrogated by the committee.
The members of the probe committee found evidence of close terms between Cyril Almeida and Fatemi. The committee also found phone call record and text messages of Pervaiz Rashid and Tehseen with Almeida.
Pervaiz Rashid and the Principal Information Officer have been held responsible for not stifling the news despite beforehand knowledge.
Almeida had published a report last year that claimed of a confrontation between the Army and the government following a meeting of the National Security Committee which was presided over by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and attended by then army chief General (r) Raheel Sharif.
Both Army and the government denied the news and termed the report baseless whereas the paper stood by the published content. However, a committee was formed to probe the issue.