Dar reveals Azam says he gave cypher to Imran
PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Saturday said that former prime minister Imran Khan’s Bani Gala residence should be raided to recover the “missing” copy of a diplomatic cypher that carries the details of the purported “foreign conspiracy” against his now fallen government.
The cypher, based on then-envoy Asad Majeed’s meeting with State Department official Donald Lu, has been at the centre of PTI’s claim that the US conspired with elements within Pakistan to dislodge Imran from the top office.
Addressing the matter in a press conference in Lahore, Maryam said: “You heard that the cypher went missing from Prime Minister House. I think there should be a raid on Bani Gala from where you will know where the cypher copy went and what the real minutes, letter and communique were.”
Maryam said Imran had the “letter” to wave it in rallies but “does not have it to show it to the people”.
Maryam Nawaz lashed out at PTI Chairman Imran Khan for playing with the country’s national interest, asking him to apologise to the nation for exploiting sensitive diplomatic document, cypher, for his political gains.
“The audio has exposed the ugly game he played with the country. Conspiracy was hatched indeed but it was hatched by Imran Khan himself against the country’s national interest,” she, flanked by other PML-N leaders and federal ministers, said.
“He did tampering and forgery with a sensitive document… this is a serious matter but I give credit to Asad Umar for saying that this is not a letter but Imran Khan persuade them to turn it into a conspiracy,” she said while referring to the alleged leaked audio conversation between Imran and his aides.
Speaking about reports that the cypher was missing from PM House, Maryam accused the former premier of taking the diplomatic cable away with him. “He should seek apology from the nation for playing with the country’s national interest and waving a fake letter in front of them,” she added.
Speaking at the start of the presser, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said Imran’s crime was unpardonable and added that government will under its legal duty will take appropriate action against him for “abrogating” the Constitution.
Calling the former premier a ‘conspirator’ who is on a mission to destroy the country, Dar said, “He has already destroyed the country’s economy. All macroeconomic indicators have worsened… he [Imran] pushed the country towards default”.
“Minutes of the meeting are present but cypher is missing… it has been established that Imran violated the Constitution and violated his oath of prime minister,” he added.
The government will be failing its constitutional duty if it did not take appropriate action against the ousted PM. “We will take this matter forward in light of Constitution and law.”
