Cabinet approves legal action against Imran, aides over ‘cypher’ audios
The cabinet has formally given the go-ahead to hold an inquiry into the audio leaks purportedly featuring PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his party leaders, it emerged on Sunday.
On Friday, the cabinet suggested that legal action could be taken after a steady stream of audio recordings surfaced, most recently of informal conversations allegedly between Imran and his aides — Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar and his former principal secretary Azam Khan — purportedly discussing the cypher that the PTI chief has for long presented as evidence of a “foreign conspiracy” to oust him from office.
he Friday meeting had constituted a sub-committee “to deliberate and recommend actions regarding the conversation of the former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his political associates and the then secretary to the PM, available on the internet regarding the cypher message received from Parep Washington (Cypher No. 1-0678 dated March 7, 2022)”.
“Therefore, the apex investigation agency (FIA) may be directed to inquire into the matter by constituting a team of senior officers, which may co-opt officers/officials from other intelligence agencies for the purpose, and to proceed further against the perpetrators in accordance with the law,” the memo said.
The cabinet also sought the implementation report on its suggestions “immediately”.
In a handout issued after the Friday huddle, it was revealed that a copy of the cypher had gone “missing” from the Prime Minister House records, and the cabinet had subsequently formed a special committee which would determine the legal action to be taken against all those involved, including the ex-premier, ex-principal secretary to prime minister Azam Khan and senior ministers.
“The cabinet committee will consist of the representatives of the coalition parties in the government, along with ministers,” the handout issued had said.
The handout had declared that the “theft of diplomatic cypher records is an unforgivable crime” and violation of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.
The cabinet was told that the audios purportedly featuring Imran and his aides exposed “the criminal conspiracy of the former government”, while the cypher was given “fictitious meanings for political mileage and subsequently it was stolen after fraud, forgery, fabrication.”
Meanwhile, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz maintained that the cypher was not just a piece of paper, saying “it belongs to the state of Pakistan.”
یہ سائفر صرف ایک کاغذ کا ٹکڑا نہیں بلکہ ریاستِ پاکستان کی امانت ہے۔ قومی امانتوں میں خیانت کرکے ریاست کےمفادات کو پامال کرنے والے کو نشانِ عبرت بنانا چاہیے تاکہ پھر کسی فارن ایجنٹ کو ڈالروں کے عوض سیاسی بھیس بدل کر ملک کو نقصان پہنچانے کی ہمت نا ہو۔#مجھ_سے_سائفر_گم_گیا
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) October 2, 2022
“Whoever violates the interests of the state by betraying the national trust should be made an example so that no foreign agent dares to harm the country in a political guise.”
PTI leaders react to the cabinet’s decision
Senior PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the cabinet summary has “proved that the cypher is a reality”.
نون لیگ کی وفاقی کابینہ کی آفیشل سمری نے ثابت کر دیا کےامریکی دھمکی والا سائفر ایک حقیقت ہے، اور 7 مارچ 2022 کو موصول ہوا-
8 مارچ کو اسی بیرونی سازش اور مداخلت کے تحت عدم اعتماد کی تحریک آئی-@SMQureshiPTI pic.twitter.com/H0hhbSrmfx— PTI (@PTIofficial) October 2, 2022
“The government has accepted our stance on the cypher,” he told a gathering in Multan today. Qureshi said his party is not afraid of the investigations announced by the government.
“We never took a step that harmed the interests of Pakistan. We served this country with dignity and will continue doing so,” he insisted.
Fawad Chaudhry pointed out a date of the cypher received to the then government in the summary issued by the cabinet, saying he hoped that PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz “will not change her position on cypher investigation from independent commission”.
The Date of Cypher says it all:) let’s investigate hope @MaryamNSharif will not change her position on Cypher investigation by independent commission in coming days pic.twitter.com/yRePwmZlgV
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) October 2, 2022
Senator Shibli Faraz also said the cypher is a reality, adding it was also shared by the PTI government with the National Assembly speaker and the chief justice of Pakistan among others.
Cipher is a reality. It was shared by PTI govt with speaker of NA & Chief Justice of Pakistan amongst others.Current govt is result of its contents.what is the discussion about? Is it to divert the attn from tanking economy or smoke screen Dar’s & Maryum NRO? #فیصلہ_عوام_کرے_گی
— Senator Shibli Faraz (@shiblifaraz) October 2, 2022
What is the discussion about? Is it to divert the attn from tanking economy or smoke screen Dar’s & Maryum NRO?” he asked.
‘New drama is being concocted’: Imran
Meanwhile, addressing a party rally in Taxila, Imran said that government figures who had once denied the cypher’s existence were now concocting a “new drama” about its disappearance.
Addressing Maryam, he said the cypher was not missing. “You want it to remain missing otherwise it will be known that your uncle and father conspired with the US and toppled our government,” he alleged.
Imran advised Maryam to ask the Foreign Office (FO) about the missing document’s whereabouts, claiming that the “master copy” was still with the FO.
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