Security breach: Information minister Pervaiz Rasheed sacked from the ministry - Home

ISLAMABAD: Pervaiz Rasheed has been removed as Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting on Saturday after he was found involved in the controversy of breaching national security, media sources said.

The removal came in the wake of civil-military leadership leaked conversation that appeared in Pakistan’s leading English Daily DAWN.

According to a senior PML-N official, the ministry has been taken back from Rasheed to ensure the transparency. He will remain dismissed until the probe of a leaked story published in DAWN is completed.

The newspaper published a story on October 6, in which journalist Cyril Almeida had written about an alleged civilian and military rift during the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting over the issue of tackling jihadi outfits.

The story drew an outpour of criticism with the military stating that it was fed to the reporter and demanded investigations into it. It cost Almeida placement of his name on the Exit Control List for less than a week, before the government eventually lifted his travel ban.

Media reports also stated that Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has left for Dubai with his family. However, the reasons behind his decision to travel are unclear and it is also not clear whether his departure is in any way connected to the probe of the leaked story.

However, Asif denied the reports and said that he was in Dubai just to attend a private ceremony and will be back on Sunday.

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Reacting to Pervaiz’s sacking by PM, PTI Chief Imran Khan termed it removal of a darbari (courtier) from the court.

Piece Published Earlier:

Interior Ministry decides to remove Cyril Almeida’s name from ECL

ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Interior on Friday decided to strike off the name of DAWN’s journalist Cyril Almeida from the Exit Control List (ECL).

According to details, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, during a meeting with the officials of CPNE and APNS here, said that the ministry will lift the travel ban imposed on the journalist.

However, Nisar said that Almeida will travel abroad only after informing the ministry.

Earlier, CPNE and APNS demanded the interior ministry to remove Almeida’s name from the list and lift the travel ban imposed on him.

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Corps Commanders term feeding of false, fabricated story as breach of national security: Dawn leaks case.

RAWALPINDI: Corps Commanders on Friday expressed their serious concern over feeding of false and fabricated story of an important security meeting held at PM House and viewed it as breach of national security.

The Corps Commanders Conference, presided over by Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, was held at GHQ which was attended by all Corps Commanders and Principal Staff Officers.

Participants held a comprehensive review of internal and external security situation with particular focus on prevailing environment at LOC and operational preparedness of the Army.

Rejecting the absurd Indian claims of hoax surgical strikes as an attempt to divert world’s attention, away from brutalities being committed by Indian Army against innocent Kashmiries, the forum resolved that any attempt of misadventurism and irresponsible act will be met with the most befitting response.

Recounting the successes of Operation Zarb-e-Azb so far and resultant stability being achieved to propel Pakistan in to a new phase of development and prosperity,COAS re-emphasized the need for sustained efforts on internal security to defeat all hostile attempts to reverse our gains.

Earlier in the day, ministry of interior decided to strike off the name of DAWN’s journalist Cyril Almeida from the Exit Control List (ECL).

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, during a meeting with the officials of CPNE and APNS here, said that the ministry will lift the travel ban imposed on the journalist.

However, Nisar said that Almeida will travel abroad only after informing the ministry.

Earlier, CPNE and APNS demanded the interior ministry to remove Almeida’s name from the list and lift the travel ban imposed on him.

DAWN says Govt. should at once remove Almeida’s

name from the ECL & salvage some of its dignity.

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M. M. ALAM

KARACHI: Sources have informed that PM House while assuring that the name of Dawn staffer Cyril Almeida will be soon taken out of ECL told that the probe was on to find out why he was put in the List. Later PM House denied that any such statement has ever been rleased.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has said that there were no restrictions on the movements of Dawn staffer Cyril Almeida. He said that his name has been entered in the ECL because certain matters are to be investigated immediately for which his presence in Pakistan was needed.

Interior Ministry has maintained that the said inquiry will take two to three days.

DAWN stands by its story and man: “THERE are times in a news organization’s history that determine its adherence to the highest principles of journalism — its duty to inform the public objectively, accurately and fearlessly.

This paper recently reported an extraordinary closed-door meeting between top government and intelligence officials where the foreign secretary briefed them on what he saw as Pakistan’s growing international isolation; following this, there was a discussion on the impediments in the way of dealing with the problem of militancy in the country.

The fallout of the story has been intense, and on Tuesday evening, the government placed Dawn’s senior writer, Cyril Almeida, on the Exit Control List.

While any media organization can commit an error of judgment and Dawn is no exception, the paper believes it handled the story in a professional manner and carried it only after verification from multiple sources.

Moreover, in accordance with the principles of fair and balanced journalism, for which Dawn is respected not only in Pakistan but also internationally, it twice issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Journalism has a long and glorious tradition of keeping its promise to its audience even in the face of enormous pressure brought to bear upon it from the corridors of power. Time has proved this to be the correct stance. Some of the most contentious yet historically significant stories have been told by news organizations while resisting the state’s narrow, self-serving and ever-shifting definition of ‘national interest’.

One could include in this list, among others, the Pentagon Papers detailing US government duplicity in its conduct of the Vietnam War; the Abu Ghraib pictures that exposed torture of prisoners at the hands of US soldiers in Iraq; the WikiLeaks release in 2010 of US State Department diplomatic communications; and Edward Snowden’s disclosure of the National Security Agency’s global surveillance system.

Even more so in Pakistan, where decades of a militarized security environment have undermined the importance of holding the state to account — something that certain sections of the media have become complicit in despite their long, hard-won struggle for freedom — such a furor as generated by the Dawn report was not unexpected.

However, this news organization will continue to defend itself robustly against any allegation of vested interest, false reporting or violation of national security.

As gatekeeper of information that was “verified, cross-checked and fact-checked”, the editor of this paper bears sole responsibility for the story in question. The government should at once remove Mr. Almeida’s name from the ECL and salvage some of its dignity.”

{When somebody gets into the limelight even those who have known them from a distance pose as his closest buddy. So grabbing at the chance, as Cyril Almeida is in the limelight for a couple of days, let me establish a connection with his family!

I have known his brother Norbert Almeida for over two decades. Due to his French he got job in the French Consulate here as an interpreter. Presently he is working as chief security P&G. We met last on 29th of September at the residence of US Consul General.

Cyril Almeida belongs to the Goan community that migrated here before partition and made Karachi their home. He has been going to Goa to attend Goa Arts and Literary Festival for the last three years.}