Nawaz forms 7-member body to probe leaked news
ISLAMABAD- Following the approval of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Interior has notified a seven-member inquiry committee under the head of Justice (retd) Aamir Raza Khan to look into the matter of probing the false and fabricated news about the high-level security meeting on the National Action Plan.
The appointment of Justice (retd) Aamir Raza Khan as inquiry committee head was seen with suspicion by some lawyers as well as some political parties for his alleged leaning towards the PML-N.
The inquiry committee under his head comprises Provincial Ombudsman Najam Saeed, Secretary Establishment Syed Tahir Shahbaz, Director FIA Punjab Usman Anwar and one representative each from Military Intelligence, Inter-Services Intelligence and Intelligence Bureau.
It is worth mentioning here that according to the Prime Minister’s Office order of October 29 it was said that the committee comprising senior officials of ISI, MI and IB would conduct inquiry into the information leak of the high-level meeting held under the chair of Prime Minister and the government had already removed the Information Minister from his post for negligence in the matter.
PTI spokesman Naeemul Haq had come up with strong-worded reaction to the composition of the inquiry committee and asked the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo moto notice of the matter.
He further questioned that how the Prime Minister, who himself was part of the meeting from where the false information was planted on an English newspaper reporter, could constitute a committee to probe the matter and said that instead the Chief Justice of Pakistan should announce such a committee and its chairman to fulfil the requirement of justice.
Justice (retd) Aamir Raza Khan is currently working on the slot of Chairman Board of Commissioner in Punjab Healthcare Commission and was said to have decades old relations with Sharif family.
A source in the government confirmed to The Nation that his daughter Dr. Tasneem Raza is working in the Sharif Medical Complex Raiwind as vice-principal while his brother-in-law Anwar Zahid is Member of National Assembly on PML-N ticket.
Justice (R) Aamir Raza had served as Judge of Lahore High Court from 1979 to 1981 in the regime of former dictator General Zia-ul-Haq and some senior lawyers were of the view that due to his old age and poor health he could not effectively dispense the duties reposed in him.
Meanwhile, no timeline for completion of the inquiry was given in the directives of the Interior Ministry but some insiders said that the committee would itself define the timeline and modus operandi to reach some conclusion.
A senior lawyer commenting on Justice (retd) Aamir Raza said that the appointment had landed the inquiry committee into controversy even before its formal installation and suspected that the matter would surely be challenged in the court of law for solid reasons.
Source: The Nation