Islamabad (May 10, 2017): Interior Ministry says action on orders of the Prime Minister on recommendations of Dawn Leaks Inquiry Committee has already been completed and the issue stands settled.
In a statement issued in Islamabad on Wednesday, it said there is need to develop a Code of Conduct for the Print Media especially when dealing with issues relating to security of Pakistan.
The Ministry through a notification issued here after the civil and military leadership’s huddle at Prime Minister’s House said that the newspaper leak issued stood resolved.
It added that the Prime Minister had on April 29 approved all the four recommendations.
The statement said that as per the commendation portfolio of Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs was taken back from Tariq Fatemi.
The issue of the newspaper’s reporter and Editor was referred to All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) for action as per the recommendations, it said adding that the action was also ordered against Rao Tahseen.
The Inquiry Committee recommended that the role of Daily Dawn, Zafar Abbas and Cyrill Almeida in the case may be referred to All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) with a direction to take disciplinary action against them.
The statement said the action already taken by the Federal Government against Senator Pervaiz Rashid is endorsed.
The Committee unanimously agreed that the then Principal Information Officer Rao Tehsin Ali had not displayed the required level of professionalism and has shown carelessness while dealing with the issue.
The Committee recommended that he may be proceeded against under the Efficiency and Discipline Rules.
The Committee also recommended removal of Mr. Tariq Fatemi from his portfolio of Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs.
Earlier a high level meeting of civil and military leadership was held at Prime Minister House on Wednesday, which deliberated over Dawn Leak issue.
Sources told Abb Takk News that Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, DG ISI Lt. General Naveed Mukhtar, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan attended the meeting, which was chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
They said that the meeting discussed Dawn leak issue and inquiry committee’s report.
The sources said that during the meeting Kulbhushan Yadav issue and security situation of the country also came under discussion.
The meeting lasted for over one and half hours. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has to cancel his scheduled press conference due to the important meeting.
Before this high level meeting, Interior Minister Chadhry Nisar Ali Khan met the Prime Minister to discuss Dawn Leak issue.
Back Ground:
On April 29, the Prime Minister’s Office had 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’, saying that a notification in this regard will be issued shortly.
The directive had come after the inquiry committee probing a story published by Dawn on October 6, 2016 submitted its findings in a report to PM Nawaz Sharif. The report — the contents of which have so far not been made public — also contained the committee’s recommendations on the matter.
Additionally, action was ordered against Rao Tehsin Ali, the principal information officer of the Ministry of Information “under the E&D Rules 1973” on charges levelled against him in the committee’s report.
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 was 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”.
The language of the statement suggested that the recommendations were in addition to the committee’s recommendations in paragraph 18 of the inquiry report, which has yet to be made public.
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