Army withdraws tweet 'rejecting' PM's directives on Dawn story probe
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The Pakistan Army on Wednesday "withdrew" a tweet by Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor which "rejected" Prime Minister House directives about the Dawn story inquiry.
"The tweet on 29 April 2017 was not aimed at any government office or person," said an ISPR press release on Wednesday.
The ISPR said: "Recommendations, as contained in Para 18 of the Inquiry Committee Report, duly approved by the prime minister, have been implemented, which has settled the Dawn leaks issue."
"Accordingly, ISPR's said Twitter post stands withdrawn and has become infructuous.
"Pakistan Army reiterates its firm commitment and continued resolve to uphold the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and support the democratic process."
Commenting on the
directives from the Prime Minister's Office regarding Tariq Fatemi's dismissal, the ISPR had tweeted on April 29 that the Army had "rejected" the PM Office's instructions, calling them "incomplete".
Maj Gen Ghafoor, who heads the military's media arm, had said: "Notification on Dawn Leak is incomplete and not in line with recommendations by the Inquiry Board. Notification is rejected."
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Notification on Dawn Leak is incomplete and not in line with recommendations by the Inquiry Board. Notification is rejected.
12:52 PM - 29 Apr 2017
PM Office's directives
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.