Rehman Malik's disclosures

Editorial:The News

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Monday that Shahbaz Taseer, son of the murdered governor of Punjab Salmaan Taseer, was alive and that his kidnappers were holding him in a place close to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. He went on to say something even more startling – that information had been received about a fortnight ago that Al-Qaeda and the TTP were planning on kidnapping the son of President Zardari and chairman of the PPP, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He offered no supporting evidence for either claim and given his propensity for what might charitably be called a slackness of tongue, we are unable to be sure of the veracity of either statement.

It is unlikely that Malik deliberately would have exacerbated the already difficult position of Shahbaz Taseer, but by disclosing his knowledge of Taseer’s whereabouts he may have alarmed his abductors. Similarly, if there really was a plot to kidnap Bilawal Bhutto Zardari then those who were doing the plotting are now alerted to the possibility of their actions being under surveillance. There are times when secrets, genuinely and for good reason, have to be kept. Disclosure may harm the chances of release or jeopardise negotiations in the case of Taseer; and in the case of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari perhaps expose an intelligence asset in their company or a leak in their communications. Either way, offering statements like this, completely unsupported, does nothing for the credibility of the interior minister. Ministers need to speak and act with discretion, be guarded and circumspect in their unscripted moments and mindful of their broader responsibilities.