Pakistan Interior Ministry will issue notification on Dawn leaks, not PMO

Karachi [Pakistan]: Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Saturday said that the notification regarding the Dawn Leaks would be released by his ministry, which will be in line with the recommendations made by the inquiry committee.

He said the Interior Ministry was supposed to issue a formal notification in this regard and not the Prime Minister's Office.

"It was only a reference issued in lieu of the briefing given to the prime minister. A notification on the issue is yet to be issued by the interior ministry," The Express Tribune quoted Nisar, as saying, while referring to an executive order issued earlier today by the PMO.

"There are several issues of great importance and it's unfortunate that they are being dealt with through tweets. State institutions don't communicate with each other through tweets. It's poisonous for the democracy," he added.

In what seems to be an apparent reference to a tweet by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Nisar said it was unfortunate that tweets were being used by state institutions to handle key matters.

"I believe that these tweets are like poison for Pakistan's democracy. It is unfortunate that we handle these matters through tweets," he said.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan Army rejected the federal government's notification on Dawn leaks inquiry, saying that it was incomplete and not in line with recommendations by the Inquiry Board.

"Notification on Dawn Leak is incomplete and not in line with recommendations by the Inquiry Board. Notification is rejected," Director General, Inter-Services Public Relations ( ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor tweeted.

The tweet came minutes after the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) government released a notification stating that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had approved the recommendations of the Dawn Leak inquiry committee.

Sharif also approved the recommendations of the Dawn leaks inquiry committee to remove Tariq Fatemi as Advisor on Foreign Affairs.

Fatemi was removed over his alleged role in the Dawn leaks controversy.

"Allocation of portfolio of Foreign Affairs to Syed Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, shall be withdrawn," ARY News quoted a letter from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), as saying.

According to a notification from the PMO, action will also be taken on the findings of the report against Rao Tehseen Ali, the Principal Information Officer at the Foreign Office.

The notification added that the role of 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.