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Nawaz Sharif sacks top aide Tariq Fatemi over Dawn Leaks probe

Pervaiz Rasheed was removed from the Information Ministry due to similar reasons some time back.

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Tariq Fatemi, Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif's Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs has been removed from his position over Dawn leaks controversy, Pakistan media reported.

Last week there were reports that Fatemi could be removed from his position after an inquiry found him guilty of "leaking" to a prominent newspaper vital information from a high-level National Security meet.

In October last year, a columnist for Dawn newspaper wrote a front-page story about a rift between Pakistan's civilian and military leaderships over militant groups that operate from Pakistan but engage in proxy war against India and Afghanistan. The government had set up the inquiry committee last year to probe the controversy surrounding a controversial report by Dawn newspaper about a key meeting on national security.

According to the inquiry committee report, it is Fatemi who was primarily responsible for leaking report of the key meeting to the newspaper without due permission.

The government had ordered an investigation on the matter in November, last year.

The committee, headed by Justice (retd) Aamir Raza Khan, included representatives of the Intelligence Bureau, the Military Intelligence and the Inter-Services Investigation.

Earlier, Pervaiz Rasheed was removed from the Information Ministry due to similar reasons. Sharif's Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs will no longer hold the office, the report said.

Fatemi is considered as trusted aide of the prime minister and his removal would be a setback for the government of Sharif who is already under pressure due to Panama case verdict.

Cyril Almeida who wrote the article had also reported that the ISI was told during the NSA meeting that its support for terror groups was leaving the country globally isolated.

The Foreign Office had vehemently rejected the report and termed it "speculative".

Earlier in the day, Sharif received a breather where Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered a time-bound probe into the Panama Papers case. At the time, his daughter Mariam Nawaz Sharif took to Twitter to express her delight. Mariam tweeted: Mubarik ! Wazir-e-Azam Nawaz Sharif ..... Alhamdolillahi Rab-al-Aalameen

She tweeted pictures of celebrations in her next tweet that read: 'Praise & glory be to Allah alone. Shukrana & mubariks>' Her third tweet said: 'Celebrations' with photos of herself, her uncle Shahbaz Sharif and father Nawaz Sharif in a celebration mood.

(With inputs from PTI)

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