Islamabad: The Foreign Office has debunked the claims made by PTI leader Shehbaz Gill that the “cypher communication” was kept hidden from then-Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
In a press release, the foreign office spokesperson, Asim Iftikhar, termed the claims entirely “baseless” that the Cypher Communication received from the Embassy in Washington was hidden from the former Foreign Minister or Prime Minister.
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Press Release
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— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) July 19, 2022
“Such a question simply does not arise. The Foreign Office operates on a professional basis, and it would be detrimental to cast aspersions on its working,” the statement read.
Gill’s claims
On Tuesday, while talking to media outside the Supreme Court, Shehbaz Gill claimed that Shah Mehmood Qureshi had told him the cypher was hidden from the then prime minister and foreign minister.
He added that the cypher was given to Qureshi when he asked the foreign secretary about it, after which the former foreign minister took it to the prime minister.
