ISLAMABAD: Tariq Fatemi, former Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, who was removed from office for his alleged role in Dawn Leaks, has rejected all the allegations leveled against him in inquiry committee report as baseless.
Fatemi, who was removed after the Inquiry Committee’s probe report was submitted to Prime Minister, wrote a farewell letter to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif saying the allegations hurt him.
“I reject recent allegations, insinuations and innuendos,” he wrote adding such suggestions are particularly hurtful to someone who has served Pakistan for nearly five decades with honour and dignity.
“AS a fellow member of the Foreign Service family, I reject recent allegations, insinuations and innuendos. Such suggestions are particularly hurtful to someone who has served Pakistan for nearly five decades with honour and integrity. 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. I have also had the honour of working directly under the distinguished diplomats, both professional as well as political appointees, all of whom reposed their highest trusts in my abilities and particularly so, in may lifelong commitment to discretion. You would appreciate that taking due care and caution becomes a second nature in our professional careers.
Be that as it may, my commitment to Pakistan, my passion for diplomacy and my association with the Foreign Service family will continue. I look forward to staying in touch with you all and to be available for any assistance or support that I might be capable of offering,” Fatemi wrote.
It is to be mentioned here that Prime Minister’s Office on Saturday issued directives to remove Syed Tariq Fatemi, special assistant to the prime minister on foreign affairs, from his post for his alleged role in ‘Dawn leaks’.
The directive came after an inquiry committee probing a story published by Dawn on October 6, 2016 submitted its findings in a report to PM Nawaz Sharif.
Notably, Saturday’s statement from the PM’s Office did not mention why action was ordered against Fatemi.
The PM’s Office also said it recommended referring Dawn to the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) for “necessary disciplinary action”, but did not say what the charges against Editor Dawn or journalist Cyril Almeida — who wrote the story — are.
The APNS has additionally been asked to develop a Code of Conduct for print media, especially when it comes to stories that deal with “issues of national importance and security”.
But hours after the Prime Minister’s Office issued the directives, Inter-Services Public Relations said the Army had rejected the notification, calling it ‘incomplete’.
Director General ISPR Major Asif Ghafoor, who heads the military’s media arm, said in a tweet: “Notification on Dawn Leak is incomplete and not in line with recommendations by the Inquiry Board. Notification is rejected.”
