ISLAMABAD – Rao Tehseen, the principal information officer who was sacked after investigations into Dawn Leaks issue winded up, filed a petition in Islamabad High Court on Tuesday seeking the copy of the inquiry report that recommended his removal.
The former official argued in his application that acquiring a copy of the report was his due right. He stated in the application that the report blamed him for the Dawn Leaks controversial story ‘Act against militants or face diplomatic isolation’ that dented his professional career as well.
Tehseen held the federation, the secretary information, the secretary interior and the secretary to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as the respondents in his application.
He further said that he had approached the commission but failed to receive a report. He pleaded that the court order the government to issue of a copy of the report to him.
It bears mentioning that after extensive investigations into the Dawn Leaks story published in October last year, the federal government had removed Rao Tehseen from the post in April. Apart from Tehseen, the special assistant to prime minister Tariq Fatemi was also ousted.
“Rao Tehsin Ali, Principal Information Officer (PIO) of the Ministry of Information, shall be proceeded against under E&D (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules 1973 on the charges based on findings in the instant report”, read the directives signed by Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad soon after the report was approved.
Not only that, minister for information and broadcasting Pervaiz Rasheed was also asked to tender resignation following the publication of the story that divulged the civil-military friction.
Dawn Leaks Story
The Dawn Leaks controversy started in October last year when Pakistan’s leading daily ‘Dawn’ in one of its stories by the name ‘Act against militants or face diplomatic isolation’ hinted at the rift between civil-military relations.
The story stirred a major controversy, resulting in columnist Cyril Almeida coming under fire from the military and government and being temporarily placed on the Exit Control List.
The Dawn story quoting official sources said that civilian government and military were not on the same page regarding actions against some specific militant groups and there was heated exchange of words between Punjab CM Shehbaz and ISI chief during a national security meeting.
Pakistan army had dismissed the story as “unfounded and planted” and called for a probe into the leak that led to the formation of an inquiry commission.
Prime Minister Office and Punjab Chief Minister also rejected the report published in the newspaper.
