ISLAMABAD: Seventeen ex-servicemen of the Pakistan Army have approached the Supreme Court of Pakistan with a request to direct the federal government to make the Dawn Leaks inquiry report public.
They have further requested the top court to bring the persons involved in leaking the matter to justice under the Official Secrets Act 1923.
The 17 retired servicemen include retired brigadiers, captains, majors and lieutenant colonels, led by Brig (r) Muhammad Arbi Khan.
“The petitioners who have held high offices in Pakistan Army during their tenure of services have a right, guaranteed by the Constitution, to know precisely to what was settled between the prime minister and the army chief in their one-to-one meeting,” the petition stated.
The petition has been instituted under Article 184 (3), through ex-servicemen’s counsel Advocate Ruqayya Sami and Advocate Sardar Ghazi.
The Prime Minister’s (PM) Office, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, former adviser to PM on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi, former principal information officer Rao Tehseen, Dawn Editor Zafar Abbas and Dawn staff member Cyril Almeida have been made respondents.
It further stated that the top court was under the constitutional duty to ensure that the people of Pakistan were given access to information. “They must be made aware of the national issues concerning the security of the state and its institutions. The right so given cannot be robbed by the government and sensitive issues cannot be settled without taking the nation into confidence as happened in the instant case,” the petition states.
The ex-servicemen questioned why the inquiry committee report was not being made public if the PM House itself was not involved in this story.
“In normal circumstances, an inquiry initiated under the Pakistan Army Act 1952 has to result in findings of guilt or otherwise. Nothing has been revealed from the inquiry committee report which stands implemented in mysterious manner,” they said.
“Apparently, the government under the garb of national interest, is not making this report public,” the petitioners said.
The petitioners said that the PM had asked the army chief not to name his daughter Maryam Safdar. “The PM finally prevailed upon the army chief without identifying the culprits. Reportedly the committee findings were tailor-made to save Maryam who was in-charge of media cell of PM House,” the petition states.
