RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Monday said his party intended to approach courts over the matter of audio leaks and seek formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe which intelligence agency was involved in the “bugging” of the PM House and Office.
Talking about the audio leaks at a ceremony in Rawalpindi, he questioned the role of intelligence agencies. “I ask my agencies: is it your job to spy on your own people? Is it your job to decide who needs to come and who needs to go? Do you even care about the country that you have imposed these people on us? That all these daaku are taking Pakistan towards destruction […] is this your job to tap phones and see what Imran Khan is saying?
“Whether the work of the agencies is to tap the phone or intimidate, threaten the people of social media; where are the human rights people hiding today? “There used to be a big noise in our times. Thieves have been looting the country for 30 years. I am telling the handlers that the nation will not listen to you,” he said while speaking here at a party convention.
“Listen now, this nation will not accept you. I am telling you, no matter how hard you try, you will only disgrace yourself, because the nation won’t accept them anymore,” he said.
The PTI chief said that journalists and media houses were facing the worst form of crackdown under the incumbent setup, claiming that people were being threatened only so that they could accept the “imported government”.
He claimed that PTI’s march would be the biggest protest march of Pakistan. “We will come towards Islamabad. Shehbaz Sharif, Rana Sana, you will not be able to do anything even if you stand upside down,” he added.
Imran conceded that people did not come out on May 25. “The Pindi Tigers also did not come out, the way they were expected to.” Referring to his politics and planned long march, PTI chairman said it was not politics but jihad for the country. However, he said the protest would be peaceful, and that he was preparing the nation for it.
He claimed the rulers were afraid of his march and said when he utters the word long march, their legs start shaking. “The nation will not accept them; the nation will fight these robbers, the captain’s march plan is ready; we know what they have to do, but they don’t know what we will do,” he added.
Addressing the party workers and leaders, he said, “The nation is ready; MNAs, MPAs only have to stay in Rawalpindi and lead. I will monitor everything from my office, whoever performs will come up in the party. I will take a report from Amir Kayani on daily basis,” he said.
“At the moment, I would not need you to sacrifice your lives for our cause, In-sha-Allah. I would need only your hard work. Whoever would work hard would get a position in the party,” Imran added.
PTI Senator Shibli Faraz, who is Imran’s chief of staff, administered the oath to the workers to participate in the real freedom march during which Imran Khan was also present. The PTI chairman said “you people should not disappoint me; now I will meet you during the march. The nation is ready, waiting for you, people are ready, the party has to give leadership. The time is near, I am about to give call for a march”.
Earlier, in his tweets, he wrote that the audio leaks are a serious violation of national security as they are a question mark on the entire security of the Prime Minister’s Office and House. As prime minister, his safe line at his residence was also bugged.
“We intend to go to court to prove the veracity of the leaks and then form a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to investigate which intelligence agency is responsible for the bugging and who is leaking the audio,” he wrote.
“This is critical because sensitive security issues are & have been illegally recorded & subsequently hacked, implying confidentiality of Pak’s national security has been exposed globally,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz Vice President Maryam Nawaz reacted sharply to Imran Khan’s statement about criticism of the intelligence agencies involved in bugging the PM Office. She said former premier should be ashamed of his past deeds as he used to justify bugging phones of his opponents when his party was in power.
She said the PTI chairman would not get a joint investigation team (JIT) of his choice nor the agencies which would be his eyes and ears, this time. Maryam said in a tweet that his [Imran’s] words carried no significance because when he was the premier, he had allowed bugging phones of his opponents and he used to call it ‘halal’ for himself, and a job of the agencies.
Maryam wrote that Imran Khan used to say that Pakistani agencies were outstanding in the world, who knew everything and they should know it. “They know all what he did and whom he called,” then he had told the media proudly. “There is temptation, evil and conspiracy in everything he says. Shame on you,” she told the PTI chief.