Imran Khan reacts to latest audio leak of his purported conversation with Azam Khan about US cypher
ISLAMABAD
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman on Wednesday said that it is a good thing that the audio of him with Azam Khan has surfaced and demanded that the cypher should be made public now.
Talking to media in Punjab House, Islamabad on Wednesday, the former prime minister played down his alleged talk saying ‘I have not yet played cypher.’
The former prime minister criticised the coalition government and reiterated that after the regime change, the notorious looters prevailed in the country, who waived Rs1100 billion soon after coming to power. He questioned whether the enemy could do the injustice that they [the coalition government] had done in the last five months.
Talking about China, the PTI Chairman said that when he [Imran] was the Prime Minister, relations with China were at their peak. Imran said that due to the coronavirus outbreak, China was closed for two years to foreigners. He said his government had borne the cost of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The PTI Chairman came down heavily on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) vice-president Maryam Nawaz, saying that she [Maryam] has no shame as she procures machinery from India for her son-in-law.
Meanwhile, former information minister and PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry has also tried to downplay the audio leaks targeting former prime minister Imran Khan by saying that an attempt was made to hide the American cypher from then premier.
In a tweet posted on Wednesday, the former PTI information minister retorted that the new leaks only confirmed that an attempt was made to conceal the American cypher from then prime minister.
In the leaked telephonic conversation, both then prime minister Imran Khan and his principal secretary Azam Khan could be heard discussing the US cypher, which had led to the ouster of the PTI government after the passage of no-trust motion in the National Assembly on April 10, 2022.
In the leaked audio, Imran could be heard directing his then principal secretary that they should play with the cypher issue without taking the name of the United States. “Let’s play with it and make it foreign plot,” Imran could be heard suggesting.
In around one and a half minute-long audio clip, Imran can be heard saying: “We just have to play with it, by hiding the date and without naming US”. Azam Khan suggests that a meeting of then foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and foreign secretary should be held where Qureshi would be asked to read out the letter.
“So whatever he will tell us, I will type it down and convert it into minutes. After this, we will write the analysis as we deem fit, so it becomes part of the record”, he suggested.
