UPDATE:
The ISPR has released a statement proclaiming that it withdraws its previous tweet rejecting Government’s notification on Dawn leaks.
It has further stated that the Dawn leaks matter stands resolved.
Sources have revealed that the Prime Minister held a meeting on Tuesday with high-level officials and close aides to discuss matters of national security, specifically the recommendations of the inquiry report which resulted after the joint civil-military probe into the Dawn leaks controversy.
The Prime Minister’s office did not officially acknowledge the meeting which is said to have continued for several hours, sources said.
Read More: Dawn Leaks: Government’s next cover-up strategy?
The follows the prime minister’s reported meeting with Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa three days ago.
It has also been reported that the prime minister intends to hold other “consular” meetings with government officials.
A source in the interior ministry confirmed that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was present at the meeting and had spent more than five hours with the prime minister. Nisar had previously promised that his office would swiftly release a comprehensive notification in the week following April 29th.
Upon conclusion of the meeting, Television news channel Geo News reported that “for the time being” the government will be relying on its April 29 move to remove the PM’s special assistant and a senior information ministry official which it believes is in line with the recommendations of the inquiry committee on the Dawn report.
It has also been reported that the prime minister intends to hold other “consular” meetings with government officials.
On 10th May, Wednesday, Chaudhry Nisar held yet another meeting with the prime minister to discuss the government’s plans regarding the recommendations of the inquiry report which have not yet been made public.
The April 29 notification ordered for the removal of Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi and Principal Information Officer Rao Tehsin Ali. Within hours of the release of PM Office issued notification, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, through his official social media account, declared the notification “incomplete” and “rejected” it.
Read More: Dawn Leaks notification: Is the PM side-stepping from real case?
In the build up to this spat between the army and the government, COAS Gen. Qamar Bajwa was under pressure from voices in the military who demanded action against those who wanted to compromise of their institution by furthering enemy narratives. Reportedly, Army jawans had expressed to the COAS that they felt their sacrifices for the country were being disparaged by the attempts to discredit their institutions. Dawn leaks had also been termed as a threat to national security following a corps commander’s meeting.
On 10th May, Wednesday, Chaudhry Nisar held yet another meeting with the prime minister to discuss the government’s plans regarding the recommendations of the inquiry report which have not yet been made public.
Read More: Govt. to release ‘operative part’ of Dawn Leaks inquiry
Sources from the Interior ministry had previously stated that the notification had been intended to be released on Tuesday, 9th May and on May 2nd Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah stated that “The interior ministry will issue a notification about the news leaks this week. This notification will carry the operative part of the recommendations of the committee,”