Pak army withdraws tweet rejecting notification on Dawn Leaks by PMO

Rawalpindi [Pakistan]: After an apparent rift between the PML-N government and the army over the Dawn Leaks report, the Pakistan Army on Wednesday withdrew its earlier statement rejecting a notification from Prime Minister’s Office on the issue.

The military even clarified that the tweet was not aimed at the government and that the recommendations approved by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have settled the issue.

“The tweet on April 29, 2017 was not aimed at any government office or person. Recommendations as contained in para 18 of the inquiry committee report, duly approved by the Prime Minister, have been implemented, which has settled the Dawn leaks issue. Accordingly, ISPR’s said Twitter post stands withdrawn and has become infructuous,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

“Pakistan Army reiterates its firm commitment and continued resolve to uphold the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and support the democratic process,” the statement added.

Earlier, the Pakistan Army rejected the federal government’s notification on Dawn leaks inquiry, saying that it was incomplete and not in line with recommendations by the Inquiry Board after the federal government released a notification stating that Prime Minister Sharif had approved the recommendations of the inquiry committee.

“Notification on Dawn Leak is incomplete and not in line with recommendations by the Inquiry Board. Notification is rejected,” ISPR Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor had tweeted at the time.

The Dawn leaks report pertains to Pakistan’s English daily The Dawn staffer Cyril Almeida’s story ‘Act against militants or face international isolation, civilians tell military’ published on October 6 last year, which came under fire for reporting that the civil leadership allegedly criticised the military’s policies on militancy (ANI)