"What basically was agreed upon [in the enquiry committee report] has not really been mentioned in the order," said an ISPR official to Business Recorder, adding that what is missing in the prime Minister's order is the determination of who planted and fabricated the story.
The sources further said the military also considers the Prime Minister Office's order as a leak, adding if it was not a final notification then why it was released to the media. Referring to Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan's statement, who described the tweet as "disastrous to democracy", the ISPR official said that "if a tweet can be disastrous for democracy, then why can not the Dawn leak be disastrous to democracy which is purely related to [country's] national security".
The official further said the army has in the recent past not fuelled any tension with the government and has done exactly what the government asks of it. "So, where does the conflict lie? It lies in the domain of National Security only," he explained.
Another military official who declined to be named stated that the Dawn leaks is a breach of national security and it occurred at the top executive office of the state after a very high level meeting. "The news was fed, monitored and its publication was ensured. The news was exactly the narrative of our enemies and was aimed at maligning our armed forces," he said.
"It [the Dawn leak's] is a very serious breach affecting our national security and the reputation of the armed forces and is therefore a simple case of treason, sedition and anti-state which comes under the purview of the Pakistan Army Act and the official Secret Act," he said, adding the same has already been validated in many cases previously by the Supreme Court in which civilians involved in high treason or anti-state activities were tried.
Defense analyst General Talat Masood (Retd) told Business Recorder that Dawn Leaks inquiry seems to be one-sided as apparently all those who are held responsible for the leaks have denied the allegations.
"It seems like the persons named in the inquiry report for their role in the leaks are made scapegoats while the actual culprits have been spared," he said. Masood said that civilian government and the army are interpreting the inquiry committee report differently and this has led to a stand-off between the institutions. He also said the army should have talked to the civilian government if there were issues regarding the Dawn leaks report instead of disseminating its dissent through a tweet. "Nobody has gained through the tension between the government and the military and instead the country is the sufferer," he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017