Disturbed by leakage of secret and confidential papers to media, Cabinet Division has barred ministries and divisions from sharing classified information, including cabinet papers, with the media, well-informed sources in the Petroleum Ministry told Business Recorder here on Saturday.

These instructions have been issued by the Secretary Cabinet Division, Nadeem Hassan Asif, to the federal ministers, ministers of state, advisors and special assistants to the prime minister, chairperson BISP, national security advisor and chairman Privatisation Commission. According to the secretary Cabinet Division, it has been observed that instances of leakage of classified information including proceedings of high-level meetings are on the increase. In order to

According to the secretary Cabinet Division, it has been observed that instances of leakage of classified information including proceedings of high-level meetings are on the increase. In order to curb this tendency, it is imperative that precautionary measures are taken at all levels of official hierarchy for safe and secure custody of cabinet papers.

According to the secretary Cabinet Division, it has been observed that instances of leakage of classified information including proceedings of high-level meetings are on the increase. In order to curb this tendency, it is imperative that precautionary measures are taken at all levels of official hierarchy for safe and secure custody of cabinet papers.

The secretary Cabinet Division has directed the ministries and divisions that to improve security arrangements with a view to checking leakages and following actions need to be taken on priority basis: (i) under rule 24(8) of the Rules of Business, 1973, all Cabinet papers, ie, summaries, agenda, minutes and decisions are classified as "secret". These papers are, thus, dispatched, as and when required, in double and properly sealed covers, with inner cover being stamped as "to be opened by the addressee only," in pursuance of instructions contained in the book titled 'Security of Classified Matters in Government Departments.' These classified papers are required to be returned to the Cabinet Division in a similar manner by the Cabinet members; (ii) only members of the cabinet/cabinet committees should open papers pertaining to the cabinet and cabinet committees. They should ensure that seal on such papers is intact when they receive these papers. In case, the seal is broken or it is found tampered with, the matter should be reported to the cabinet division immediately; (iii) federal ministers and indeed all other participants, privy to information emanating from summaries/discussions of the cabinet or cabinet committee meetings or high-level presentations, are required to be very careful and circumspect in discussing/commenting on any aspect of the proceedings, publicly or semipublicly, except where the press or the public are required under a decision to be so briefed; (iv) all cabinet papers should be secured with very limited access and in charge of officers who are well conversant with security of documents and who will maintain proper record thereof; (v) instruction 57(g) of Secretariat Instructions, 1994 provides that no classified document of confidential or above security classification will be transmitted on a fax machine which is not provided with security equipment; (vi) transactions of classified documents through e-mail/WhatsApp etc should be banned; (vii) only the spokesperson of the ministry/division/department should deal with the press carefully; (viii) as a policy, ministries/divisions/ departments should discourage visits of the press reporters/unauthorised persons to places where classified information is processed; (ix) prompt and proper action in case of breach of security should be taken; and (x) open enquiries in the departments, from where the leakage to the press/unauthorised persons have occurred, be initiated and all those coming in the channel of processing of the particular information be questioned/penalised under the rules.