Daily Times

The resignation of Federal Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed in the wake of publication of a story in Dawn regarding ‘revelation’ of contents of a high-level meeting of civil-military leadership has given birth to widespread speculations. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has come down hard on the government for taking this step, and making Rasheed a scapegoat. A statement from the Prime Minister Office (PMO) has said that the controversial story was a breach to national security and evidence collected so far collected ‘links’ Rasheed to the leak. “Evidence available so far points to a lapse on part of Information Minister, who has been directed to step down from office to enable holding of an independent and detailed inquiry,” a PMO statement said.

The news leak scandal carries many lessons for the stakeholders. Government can better avoid criticism by giving an outline to media — both print and electronic — on how to disseminate information of certain high-level meetings. There are certain quarters that are declaring the leakage of this story as a breach of national security and violation of the Official Secrets Act. Rationally, it is a tad going over the top to construe this incident as a breach of national security as there was nothing secret that was printed in the story. State policies regarding the existence of militant groups in the past who were allegedly used as strategic assets is that uncomfortably open secret that is not even considered an embarrassment. The Dawn story was merely a report on a high-level discussion, notwithstanding its secret status, and if left alone, it could have gone unnoticed. But it was the government and military establishment that made it a big issue through its hasty and uncalled-for reaction.

First, a series of clarifications was published in the Dawn, then the name of the journalist Cyril Almeida was put on the Exit Control List, and now the information minister has been sacked. All these steps seem irrelevant and unnecessary in the wake of the publication of the story that would have been forgotten if it had not received such a response from those sitting at the helm of affairs. The way it has been handled puts a question mark on government’s relations with the military establishment and its own capability to deal with certain issues. Once it has happened, now there is a need to take preemptive measures that such a situation does not resurface again. Government should be careful that the matter is resolved amicably, and the resignation Rasheed does not lead to any ‘stern action’ against other officials. While it is important to respect the protocol of top-secret meetings, ensuring there is no leak, now when the report and its aftermath have already made international headlines, it is important that the response of civilian and military establishment does not go beyond a stern reprimand. And it is important to make the distinction that while a violation of the Official Secrets Act may have taken place, there has been no breach of national security. To set a precedent for solid civilian-military dynamics, an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect would go a long way, while punishing people for a leak would merely be reminiscent of the draconian era of military dictatorship of 1970s. *