ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif summoned his close aides to Jati Umra in Raiwind on Sunday to thrash out a ‘damage control’ strategy following Pakistan Army’s curt rejection of a government notification in the Dawn Leaks issue.
Sources said Senator Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar and Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Fawad Hassan Fawad travelled to Lahore in a special plane to attend the huddle chaired by the prime minister to discuss options in the aftermath of civil-military tensions over Dawn Leaks report.
Sources said the meeting agreed in principle to address the ‘grievances’ of the military establishment over the matter. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan were reportedly tasked to approach military top leadership to carve out an ‘amicable settlement’ that could also provide a face-saving way for both the sides.
However, prime minister’s daughter Maryam Nawaz denied that anybody had been asked to contact army for ‘rapprochement’. Following the meeting, Maryam tweeted, “All statements being attributed to PM on media after the consultative meeting are incorrect. No one has been assigned any task by the PM.”
Prime Minister told the meeting that all national institutions were working within the ambit of the constitution and that there should not be any conflict between state organs, according to sources privy to the meeting. “All the national institutions should jointly work for the progress and prosperity of the country,” sources quoted the prime minister as having told the meeting.
According to sources, the senior leadership of the ruling party also discussed other options, including issue of a new notification and the implementation of the remaining recommendations of the committee.
A day earlier, the Pakistan Army had expressed anger at a government communiqué regarding implementation of the recommendations of the Dawn Leaks inquiry committee, terming it ‘incomplete and not in line with the recommendations of the inquiry committee’. “The notification on Dawn Leaks is incomplete and not in line with recommendations of the inquiry board. Notification is rejected,” ISPR DG Major General Asif Ghafoor had tweeted, hours after a notification issued with signatures of Principal Secretary to PM Fawad Hasan Fawad directed for action against Principal Information Officer (PIO) Rao Tahsin Ali under Efficiency and Discipline (E&D) Rules 1973 and withdrawal of allocation of portfolio of foreign affairs from Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi. The communiqué also said that the matter relating to Daily Dawn, its editor Zaffar Abbas and reporter Cyril Almeida was being referred to the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) for necessary disciplinary action. The APNS was also asked to develop a code of conduct for the print media, especially when dealing with issues relating to security of Pakistan.
Following prime minister’s directives, the Establishment Division also issued a notification removing Rao Tehsin Ali as the PIO with directions to report to the division.
Separately, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday said that politics of baseless allegations, agitation and anarchy will not succeed.
In his meetings with parliamentarians, the chief minister said those who are against the progress and development of the people are the enemies of Pakistan. He said the ongoing progress and development in the country was unacceptable to the political opponents of the PML-N. He said these so-called politicians were afraid that completion of unprecedented development projects launched by the PML-N government would bring an end to their politics of negativity.
Shahbaz said those who were involved in lies, corruption and false accusations need to review their non-political and unethical attitude. “The plundering of national wealth by Asif Zardari and lies and baseless allegations of Imran Khan have already spread enough hopelessness among the masses,” he added.
