PM withdraws Tariq Fatemi’s portfolio, notification issued

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet division on Saturday issued a notification, ordering the withdrawal of the portfolio of Foreign Affairs from the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi.

“In terms of rule 4(6) of the Rules of Business, 1973, the Prime Minister has been pleased to withdraw the portfolio of Foreign Affairs, with immediate effect, from Mr Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister with the status of Minister of State,” the notification read.

The notification has been issued because of Fatemi's alleged role in Dawn leaks case. 

According to 4(6) of Rules of Business 1973, the Prime Minister has the right to determine his special assistants. “There may be a Special Assistant or Special Assistants to the Prime Minister with such status and functions as may be determined by the Prime Minister,” it reads.

Read more: Khursheed Shah calls for immediate resignation of Chaudhry Nisar

Earlier in the day, an order released by the PM Office said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had approved the recommendations of the Dawn leaks Inquiry committee.

"The Prime Minister, having considered the findings of the Committee as to its terms of reference, is pleased to approve its recommendations in para 18 of the report," read an order released by the PM Office.

Later in the evening, Establishment Division issued a notification, transferring Principal Information Officer Press Information Department Rao Tehseen and asking him to report to the Division immediately.

Read more: Dawn Leaks inquiry deliberate attempt to malign Pak Army: Imran Khan

How did it start?

An English-language daily, Dawn, had published the story on October 6, last year, in which journalist Cyril Almeida had written about an alleged civil-military rift during a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting over the issue of tackling jihadi outfits.

The story stirred a major controversy last year, resulting in resignation of Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed and Almeida coming under fire.

An inquiry committee was formed comprising one member each from the ISI, MI and IB, Secretary Establishment, Tahir Shahbaz, Ombudsman Punjab Najam Saeed, and an FIA director.

Read more: Govt trying to hide the truth: PTI's Naeem-ul-Haque

The inquiry committee in its report had placed blame on Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi and Principal Information Officer at the Press Information Department Rao Tehsin, sources had earlier told Geo News.

The report stated that the publishing of the story was a failure on part of some government institutions including Information Ministry and Foreign Ministry.

PM Office order

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif approved on Saturday the recommendations of the Dawn leaks Inquiry committee, withdrawing the portfolio of Foreign Affairs from his Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi, according to an order of PM Office.

The executive said that Rao Tehsin Ali, the principal information officer at the Information Ministry, would also be sanctioned, adding the editor of Dawn Newspaper, Zaffar Abbas, and reporter Cyril Almeida will be referred to the All Pakistan Newspaper Association (APNS) “for necessary disciplinary action.”

The order also said that the APNS will be asked to develop a code of conduct for the media, "especially when dealing with issues relating to security of Pakistan and to ensure that stories on issues of national importance and security are published by abiding to basic journalistic and editorial norms".

Read more: Dawn Leaks: Publishing of story govt’s failure, says inquiry report

Army’s reaction

Reacting to the statement, the Pakistan Army rejected and said it was incomplete and not in line with the recommendations by the inquiry board.

The Army announced the rejection in a tweet sent out by DG ISPR Major-General Asif Ghafoor from his official account: “Notification on Dawn Leak is incomplete and not in line with recommendations by the Inquiry Board. Notification is rejected.”

Only interior ministry can issue notification: Nisar

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that PM Office does not have the right to issue a notification; only Interior Ministry can issue it. “A non-issue has been turned into an issue, he remarked.

He said, the notification “will be according to the unanimous recommendations of the [Dawn Leaks inquiry] committee."

Read more: Feeding of Dawn story a national security breach: Corps Commanders

PTI’s reaction

According to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, the Dawn Leaks inquiry is a deliberate attempt to malign Pakistan Army.

Imran Khan tweeted that government must immediately make the complete inquiry report public.

Meanwhile, another PTI leader Naeem-ul-Haque accused the federal government of "concealing the truth", demanding that it releases the detailed report by the inquiry committee.

Read more: Travel ban on Cyril Almeida lifted

The nation wants to know if the committee also probed the prime minister, his daughter Maryam Nawaz, and the PM's Principal Secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad.

"We would like to know what role Tariq Fatemi and others played in discrediting the military," he said, adding that the government should avoid concealing facts.

Nisar should immediately resign: Khursheed Shah

Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah called for the immediate resignation of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar over the Dawn Leaks statement on Saturday, adding all that has come to the forefront regarding Dawn Leaks notification is quite sad.