Govt dismisses 'fabricated' report, reaffirms army's lead role in fight against terrorism

PM House statement says Dawn report risked vital state interests by including inaccurate and misleading content

Army chief General Raheel Sharif called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday to discuss matters pertaining to national and regional security.

The participants of the meeting expressed concern over the publication of a 'fabricated' news story in Dawn newspaper which claimed the civilian government had asked military-led intelligence agencies not to interfere if law enforcement acts against militant groups which were considered 'off-limits' for civilian action.



Rejecting claims made in the story, the government reaffirmed that the army and intelligence agencies shall continue to play a lead role in the fight against terrorism. The PM House statement added that the operation against terrorists was proceeding smoothly and without any discrimination whatsoever with complete consensus of all stakeholders.

The participants were also unanimous that the 'fabricated' story was clearly violative of universally acknowledged principles of reporting on national security issues. "It had risked the vital state interests through inclusion of inaccurate and misleading content which had no relevance to actual discussion and facts," the statement added.



The participants felt that it was imperative that print and electronic media refrained itself from speculative reporting and issues of national security and interests of the state. The prime minister took serious notice of the violation and directed that those responsible should be identified for stern action.

Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif and DG ISI Lt. Gen. Rizwan Akhtar were present during the meeting.