Govt takes steps to stop leakage of classified information

ISLAMABAD: Instead of tabling Right to Information Bill in the parliament which was approved by the Senate Committee on Information and Broadcasting back in July 2014, the federal government has issued a 10-point notification to prevent the leakage of classified information.

The notification, obtained by Geo News on Thursday, stated that all Cabinet papers i.e. summaries, agenda, minutes and decisions are classified as “secret”.

“These papers are thus dispatched, as and when required, in double and properly sealed covers with inner cover being stamped/marked as ‘to be opened by the addressee only’”, the document stated.

It also said: “Only Members of the Cabinet/Cabinet Committees should open papers pertaining to the Cabinet and Cabinet Committees. They should ensure that seal on such papers is intact when they received these papers. In case the seal is broken or tempered with, matter should be reported to Cabinet Division immediately.”

The notification instructed that all Cabinet papers should be secured with very limited access and in charge of officers who are well conversant with security of documents and who will maintain proper record thereof.

“Transactions of classified documents through email/WhatsApp etc. should be banned. Only spokesperson of the Ministry/Division/Department should deal with press carefully.”

In a news story published in Dawn on October 6 Cyril Almeida had written about a hot exchange of words between DG ISI General Rizwan Akhtar and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif during a top civil-military huddle over the issue of tackling Jihadi outfits operating in the country.

The Prime Minister House has rejected the story on a number of times.