Beleaguered Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday faced a crisis when Pakistan’s powerful army rejected his move to sack top aide Tariq Fatemi and demanded full implementation of recommendations by a committee which probed a story on a rift between the army and the government.
The Sharif government was quick to go in damage control mode after confrontation with the army over a “notification” and announced that “real notification” to implement the recommendation of probe was yet to be issued.
Difference came to fore between army and government after the military, in an unusual move, rejected the “notification” by the government to sack special foreign affairs assistant Mr Fatemi following the findings of a probe committee.
“Notification on Dawn Leak is incomplete and not in line with recommendations by the inquiry board. Notification is rejected,” army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said in terse statement on Twitter.
Minutes later, interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in veiled criticism of the hasty reaction by the army said, “Twitter reactions were highly dangerous for the country.”
“There are several issues of great importance and it’s unfortunate that they are being dealt with through tweets. State institutions don’t communicate with each other through tweets,” Mr Khan said. He asserted no notification was issued as yet.
