ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan Wednesday broke silence on the leaked audio, saying he has not played on the cypher yet.
The PTI chairman made these remarks while speaking to journalists after an audio of his alleged conversation with his then principal secretary Azam Khan went viral, triggering a new controversy over the US conspiracy.
He said that Shahbaz Sharif leaked that audio when asked who did this.
“It is good that the audio got leaked, I would say the cypher should also be leaked. So that everyone should come to know how big was that foreign conspiracy.”
Imran Khan said that he has not played over it yet and will play when they expose it.
In the leaked audio, Imran Khan could be heard directing Azam Khan that they should play with the cypher issue without taking the name of the United States.
“Let’s play with it,” Imran Khan allegedly said in the audio, to which Azam Khan suggested that they should hold a meeting on the US cypher to bring it on record.
The PTI has defended the leaked conversation, saying it endorsed their view that the cypher was not shared with Imran Khan.
Imran Khan: Ok, so now let's just play with it. We don't need to name America. We will just play over it and say that the date was already there.
Azam Khan: Sir, I was thinking...that we should hold a meeting on this cypher issue. If you might remember, the ambassador mentioned at the last of the letter that we should issue a demarche. If you still don't want to issue a demarche, because I thought over it last night….how can we cover this? Let's call a meeting of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Foreign Secretary (Sohail Mahmood). There, we will ask Shah Mahmood Qureshi to read out the letter. So whatever he will tell us, I will type it down and convert it into [meeting] minutes that the foreign minister said this and the foreign secretary said this. After this, we will write the analysis as we deem fit, so it becomes part of the record. In the analysis, we will say that the language used [in the letter] in diplomatic norms is considered a threat …….and things like that. See, the minutes [of the meeting] are in my hand, we can draft them according to our wishes.
Imran Khan: So whom should we call in this meeting? Shah Mahmood [foreign minister], you [Azam], I [Imran], and Sohail [foreign secretary].
Azam Khan: [Yes,] that's it.
Imran Khan: Alright then, let's hold this meeting tomorrow.
Azam Khan: [So see, if we do this] then things will come on record. Right now, he is consulate for the state [sic] and when he will read it out, I will copy them easily so it will become part of the record. You should also call the foreign secretary so that this thing can be highlighted at the bureaucratic level, not just the political one. You understand what I'm saying.
Imran Khan: The ambassador wrote it himself
Azam Khan: We don’t have the copy right now. How did they take it [cable] out?
Imran Khan: This was raised from here. He did it. But anyhow, it is a foreign conspiracy.