Court issues notices on former PIO Rao Tehsin's plea against suspension

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday sent notices to the secretaries of the interior and information ministries, as well as the prime minister's principal secretary over former press information officer (PIO) Rao Tehsin Ali's petition against his suspension.  

At the start of the hearing, Ali’s counsel, Waseem Sajjad, informed the court that his client was not present in the ‘high-profile’ meeting, the alleged contents of which were leaked to the newspaper.

Justice Aamer Farooq inquired from the counsel whether providing him with the inquiry commission’s report is the prerogative of the government, and if so under which law. He then directed Sajjad to submit details of the relevant law by which the government can be directed to provide him the inquiry report.

The hearing was then briefly adjourned. Later, the court issued notices to the secretaries of the interior and information ministries, and the prime minister's principal secretary to file their replies to the petition. 

On Tuesday, the former PIO submitted a petition in IHC stating that he has been wrongly blamed for the Dawn Leaks saga. I was dismissed from my post and asked to report to the Establishment Division, the petition, quoting Ali, states.

Action was taken against me without showing me the inquiry report of the commission. It’s my right to acquire the commission’s report, pleads Ali.

The ministries of interior and information, along with the prime minister’s principal secretary have been made respondents in the petition.

The petition pleads the court to order the relevant authorities to provide him the report.

The inquiry commission’s recommendations said Ali “would be proceeded against under the Efficiency & Discipline Rules 1973 on the charges based on the report findings”.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on April 29 approved the recommendations of the committee, which ordered proceedings against Ali and withdrew the portfolio of foreign affairs adviser from prime minister’s special assistant Tariq Fatemi.

The leak

The story in Dawn stirred a major controversy last year, resulting in Almeida coming under fire from the military and government and being temporarily placed on the Exit Control List. The inquiry committee which investigated the matter comprised one member each from the Inter Services Intelligence, Military Intelligence and Intelligence Bureau, Establishment Secretary Tahir Shahbaz, Punjab Ombudsman Najam Saeed, and an Federal Investigation Agency director.

The committee was headed by Justice (retd) Amir Raza Khan.

Later, the Pakistan Army's top commanders expressed serious concern over the "feeding of a false and fabricated story of an important security meeting", terming it a breach of national security.

The government called it a 'fabricated' story and termed the "purported deliberations" during the security meeting as speculative, misleading, factually incorrect, and an "amalgamation of fiction and fabrication".

Following a preliminary investigation, the government relieved Senator Pervaiz Rasheed of his responsibilities as federal minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage pending a high-level inquiry.