Islamabad, Pakistan: Maryam Safdar who is daughter of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has regretted removal of former Federal Minister for Information Pervaiz Rasheed.
Responding to a question on outside Accountability Court on Tuesday, she said that Rasheed should not have been removed from Ministry over Dawn Leaks.
It is pertinent to mention that the Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Cultural Heritage Pervaiz Rasheed was removed from his post when he was accused of his role in Dawn Leak. A grade 21 career bureaucrat the then Principal Information Officer (PIO) of Government of Pakistan Rao Tehsin Ali Khan was also removed from his post along with the then Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatimi. All three persons were accused of not performing their duties effectively. The then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on April 29, 2017 was pleased to remove Rao Tehsin and Fatimi but the then Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Cultural Heritage Pervaiz Rasheed was not removed till Pakistan Army through DG Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) rejected to accept the notification.
Notification on Dawn Leak is incomplete and not in line with recommendations by the Inquiry Board. Notification is rejected.
— Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) April 29, 2017
No notification issued on Dawn Leaks: Nisar
After the statement of Maryam Nawaz that indicates error of judgment and decision wronly taken by her father to remove Senator Pervaiz Rasheed in Dawn Leak, the journalistic circles of the capital city of Islamabad are discussing then why a former career diplomat and a serving bureaucrat were made scapegoats and punished without reasons?
Responding to a question of a journalist outside the Accountability Court here on Tuesday that why Pervaiz Rasheed was removed from the ministry if Dawn Leaks were true, Maryam Nawaz responded that “Rasheed should not have been punished”.
Maryam Nawaz said that the punishment given to former Information and Broadcasting Minister Pervaiz Rasheed by removing him from the ministry unreasonable.
A retired career diplomat Tariq Fatimi was placed as the Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs while Senator Pervaiz Rasheed is a politician. The only fatal victim of backlash of Dawn Leaks was Rao Tehsin Ali Khan who is a serving bureaucrat of Information cadre and was at the verge of his promotion to grade 22.
Rao Tehsin was ordered to report to the Establishment Division and the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif gave orders to take departmental action against Rao Tehsin Ali Khan.
The then Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan was of the view that all actions were taken according to recommendations of the Inquiry Committee headed by Justice (retd) Amir Raza Khan to probe Dawn Leaks. Besides Justice (retd) Amir Raza Khan as its head, the Inquiry Committee included the Secretary Establishment Tahir Shahbaz, Ombudsman Punjab Najam Saeed, Director Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Lahore Usman Anwar and a representative each of Military Intelligence (IB), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB).
The issue of Dawn Leaks surfaced in October after Dawn News reporter Cyril Almeida disclosed some highly sensitive information about a high-level security meeting in his Story titled “Act against militants or face international isolation, civilians tell military” published in the newspaper.
Following the Dawn Story, Pervez Rasheed was asked to tender his resignation as the Information Minister over negligence committed on his part while an Inquiry Committee headed by Justice (retd) Aamir Raza was formed to probe the Dawn Leaks.
In May, Rao Tehsin sent notices to the Ministry of Interior and Secretary Establishment of Government of Pakistan asking them to provide him copy of Dawn Leak Inquiry Commission Report within next seven days.
But when his request wasn’t dilated upon, he approached the IHC in June, seeking a copy of the Inquiry Report that recommended his removal. He submitted an application at the Registrar’s Office of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking a copy of an inquiry report that recommended his removal. Rao Tehsin Ali Khan argued in his application with the IHC that acquiring a copy of the report is his due right. He states in the application that the report had dented his career and held him responsible for the matter. He 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 the court order the government for issuance of a copy of the report to him.
However, copy of report was not provided to him by Establishment Division.
The Former Principal Information Officer (PIO) of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Rao Tehsin Ali Khan on December 11, 2017
Tehsin filed another petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), pleading the Court to order the High Powered Selection Board to consider his name for promotion to grade 22. The petition was filed by Qaiser Imam advocate on behalf of Rao Tehsin under article 199 of the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan, which was accepted by the IHC, and the IHC judge Justice Aamer Farooq. In his petition, Rao Tehsin said that the IHC ordered the Establishment Division on September 14 to consider his name for promotion to grade 22. Rao Tehsin said that the Establishment Division also ensured him before the Court that he would be promoted but it didn’t abide by its commitment.
The petitioner argued that the Establishment Division’s behavior was tantamount to the Contempt of Court. He also asked the IHC to summon the minutes of last meeting of High Powered
The former PIO pleaded that the High Powered Selection Board would meet again on December 11; and therefore he requested the Court to order the board to consider his name for promotion. He said that if the Selection Board is found violating the Court’s orders, then Contempt of Court proceedings be initiated.
Reaching fast to the date of his retirement, Rao Tehsin is yet to be considered for his promotion in grade 22 and spending his career as Officer on Special Duty (OSD).
