The government has decided to remove the name of Dawn reporter, Cyril Almeida from Exit Control List.
This was decided in the meeting of the representatives of All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) and Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan here Friday.
The interior minister assured the representatives of APNS and CPNE for removing Cyril Almeida from ECL after they demanded to take his name out of the ECL.
Information Minister Senator Pervaiz Rasheed was also present in the meeting.
Chaudhry Nisar on Thursday said Dawn’s reporter Cyril Almeida was put on the Exit Control List to carry out the investigation into the report on a high level security meeting.
Terming the news item incorrect, he said the Dawn reporter stood by the story even after conceding that nobody confirmed the news.
“Why was the story published when everybody denied it,” he said adding that the matter should have ended and the story should not have been carried by the English daily. “The journalist said he stood by the story…investigation is imperative now”.
He said two to three foreign journalists were also part of the investigation which was due to end in three to four days.
The minister said the entire world had an opportunity to charge-sheet Pakistan and Indian media manipulated the report as vindication of their narrative.
“We were forced to put Cyril Almeida on ECL after we came to know he intended to leave the country,” he said. “Government and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz would have to shoulder the blame, if he had left the country”.
He said it was decided in a high level meeting that action would be taken against those who leaked the details of the civil-military huddle.
