Skip to main content

Pakistan minister resigns for suspected role in leaking info to daily


A key Pakistani minister “has been directed to step down”​ for his suspected role in leaking government information to media that implicates the country’s powerful military in acts of extremism overseas.
Information Minister Pervez Rasheed resigned on Saturday at the direction of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s office, which has said an inquiry will determine whether he is really to blame for leaking information to leading newspaper Dawn.
Rasheed is believed to have told Dawn that the military had been asked by civilian officials to stop supporting extremist militants abroad.
According to the report by Dawn, the civilian Pakistani government had told the military leadership during a high-level security meeting that the latter’s support for militants overseas had led to “a growing international isolation of Pakistan.”
Certain decisions had been made during the meeting to stop such sponsorship, according to the report.
Pakistan has long been denying support for militants abroad, and Sharif has denied the specific report by Dawn. He has also denounced it as a “breach of national security.”
His Saturday move to ask Rasheed to leave office, however, triggers speculation that at least some of the information in the story may be true.
“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,” the prime minister’s office said on Saturday.
It is not clear whether Rasheed, who has tendered his resignation, will be reinstated if proven not guilty in the inquiry.
The Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency has long faced accusations of supporting extremist militants abroad.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

38 dead, 92,000 left homeless by Niger floods

Recent heavy floods in Niger have killed more than three dozen people and left tens of thousands of others homeless, a United Nations (UN) report says. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report on Wednesday that, since June, at least 38 people had lost their lives and more than 92,000 had been made homeless as a result of torrential rains and heavy downpours in the West African country. The Nigerien government had put the number of fatalities at 14 before new flooding in August. The OCHA, citing government figures, also noted that more than 9,000 homes had been destroyed and more than 26,000 heads of livestock lost. Over 50,000 people had received aid from NGOs and many of the homeless had been sheltering in schools and public buildings, it added. The Nigerien National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) issued a warning last month, advising residents along the Niger River to evacuate immediately to safer ground over the likelihood of...
Post a Comment
Read more

Iran crushes Tajikistan for 2nd successive win at CAFA U-19 Women’s Cup

The Iranian national under-19 soccer team has notched an emphatic win over Tajikistan at the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) U-19 Women’s Cup in Uzbekistan to maintain its unbeaten run at the regional sports event. On Sunday, the Iranian sportswomen, who had opened the tournament with a 4-1 triumph over Kyrgyzstan the previous day, crushed their Central Asian opponents 6-0 in their second fixture in the Uzbek capital city of Tashkent. Afsaneh Chatrenour put the Iranian team on the scoreboard in the 9th minute, before Elham Annafcheh doubled her side’s lead six minutes later. Fatemeh Qassemi scored a brace within few seconds in the 23rd and 24th minute, followed by an extra goal by Chatrenour in the 27th minute. Finally, Ghazaleh Salehipour ran the ball into the end zone more than a quarter after the hour mark, and hit a fine kick to score the Iranian team’s sixth goal. Iran women's national under-19 soccer team is scheduled t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Solar-powered ferries launched in Pyongyang

North Korea says it’s running solar-powered ferries in the capital Pyongyang. North Korean official news agency KCNA has released footage of a cruiser sailing through Taedong River in Pyongyang with a solar panel onboard. According to the cruiser’s captain, the ferries are capable of carrying up to 60 passengers. They are also going to be used for sight-seeing and tourism as well as providing reservation services for local and foreign guests. North Korea had earlier released images of the boats through a monthly magazine intended for foreign readers.
Post a Comment
Read more