Rao Tehsin decides to challenge commission recommendations in court

ISLAMABAD: Rao Tehsin Ali , the former Principal Information Officer at the Information Ministry has decided to challenge the Dawn Leaks inquiry commission’s recommendations in the court.

The commission had said that he “would be proceeded against under the E&D rules 1973 on the charges based on the report findings”.

The recommendations of the committee were approved by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday after which proceedings against Rao Tehsin were ordered.

Besides, the portfolio of Foreign Affairs was also withdrawn from the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi.

Rao Tehsin told Geo.tv that he was awaiting the report of the inquiry commission as his lawyer had asked for the classified copy of the report.

The order released by the PM office also said 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 to be taken against them.

It added that the APNS will be asked to develop a code of conduct for the media, "especially when dealing with issues relating to security of Pakistan and to ensure that stories on issues of national importance and security are published by abiding to basic journalistic and editorial norms".

But, shortly after the government's announcement, the military's media Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued a short statement saying that Army rejects the government notification and that it is "incomplete and not in line with recommendations by the Inquiry Board".

Later in the evening, Establishment Division issued a notification, transferring Principal Information Officer PID Rao Tehsin and asking him to report to the Division immediately.