Mystery man who leaked Hussain Nawaz’s picture

ISLAMABAD: SM was working with the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) which sought his services on their choice from a respective department which operated under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence.

SM is the individual who allegedly leaked the photograph of Hussain Nawaz Sharif as it triggered the controversy and drew reaction from the Sharif family, revealed a senior govt official familiar with the matter.

“It is only a name. They have not disclosed the individual’s parent department or nature of assignment. Moreover, it is not clear yet that either any disciplinary action was taken against this individual or not,” revealed the official who did not want to be named. When asked about more details about this individual, the senior official said, “The fact that they did not care to share the name with the highest court shows — how do we know that this is not a pseudonym —a cover up [name]?—but he is not a high ranking official — perhaps being made a scapegoat.”

Off-the-record meetings/interviews with the government officials revealed that JIT head Wajid Zia on instructions of the Supreme Court sent the name of SM in a sealed envelope to Ashtar Ausaf Ali, Attorney General for Pakistan. After receiving the sealed envelope, Mr Ashtar shared it with the Prime Minister last week. “The sealed envelope stamped with 'top confidential' only carried the name,” a senior official who did not want to be named revealed.

SM has never been an employee at the Federal Judicial Academy (FJA) where around 80 employees are presently working, revealed officials worked at the academy. SM was assisting the JIT members as well as the IT in-charge who was controlling the CCTV operations in FJA, added the officials. This individual has also never been employed at the Ministry of Interior, its subsidiary departments and Ministry of Law and Justice, its attached autonomous bodies, State Bank of Pakistan and NAB, according to officials at the Establishment Division (ED) this correspondent spoke to. The ED maintained credentials of these departments’ employees.

“Obviously one feels humiliated by such acts and omissions but then it's not humiliation only. It's the compromised process which makes all the difference," commented a member of the Sharif family when this scribe sought their viewpoint. Some government officials, however, believed that he was from one of the agencies whose members were part of the process. “Probably an agency employee but purportedly a civilian — though everything is to be taken with a pinch of salt,” revealed a person closed to Hussain Nawaz. But the Ministry of Defence officially neither confirmed nor denied this viewpoint.

“The orders of the Supreme Court in this matter have been fully complied with,” JIT head Wajid Zia said while responding to a few questions i.e.— how this individual had an access to such sensitive information. How this individual managed to get his cell phone into the secure area where the investigation was taking place. If no cell phones were allowed, if this was not a security breach. If he was sure there were no other such recordings or images that had been made unofficially in such manner.

When this scribe approached FJA Director General Fakhar Hayat, he said, "We, on order of SC, provided space to JIT members only." He, however, parried the question when asked if the individual belonged to FJA and if JIT sought services of a few FJA officials too.

Ministry of Defence Secretary Lt Gen (retd) Zamir-ul-Hassan and SC Registrar Arbab Arif did not respond queries of this correspondent despite several reminders sent to them in the past four days. A questionnaire was sent to them officially. Both of them, through their staff, received following questions days back. Some of them were why no department had been provided the name, although Mr Zia informed the apex court that the person who leaked Mr Hussain’s image was on deputation but later sent back to his parent department. If any government official or institution had approached regarding this individual, if he worked with agencies and if he could provide the department, rank and a little personal information of the person.

Note:  The name of the person who leaked Hussain’s image has not been fully revealed in this report to protect his identity.