ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Wednesday said that the reported confession of former principal secretary Azam Khan was a charge sheet against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan.
His statement came as an alleged confession of Azam Khan, Imran Khan’s principal secretary when he was prime minister, got viral on social media wherein he claimed that the cipher narrative—which Imran Khan has for long presented as evidence of a foreign conspiracy to topple his government— was fabricated.
The development comes a day after the Lahore High Court withdrew a stay order against the call-up notice to Imran Khan by the Federal Investigation Agency in an inquiry into an audio leak relating to the cipher. At the same time, a top US official also publicly defended Donald Lu, the US Assistant Secretary of State, who was accused by Imran Khan of orchestrating the no-confidence move that led to his fall.
Rana Sana Criticizes Imran Khan
The interior minister said that Azam Khan’s statement shows who conspired against Pakistan and its institutions and played a game for his political and personal interest while damaging the interests of the country.
He said that, on the one side, he pushed the national economy into a crisis and, on the other hand, damaged the country’s foreign relations.
Rana Sanaullah said this person had committed a crime and should be punished because those who played with Pakistan’s interests have confessed their crime.
Responding to a query about whether those involved in the alleged conspiracy would be charged under Article VI of the Constitution, the minister said that the opinion of the law department would be the final decision on this issue, but he thinks the Official Secrets Act (OSA) is more relevant in this case.
He said that a punishment should be given over this and the cipher should be recovered.
The minister claimed that while Imran Khan has told Azam Khan that the cipher has gone missing, his assessment is that Imran Khan still has it.
