Fawad wants SC to probe audio leaks, make report public

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice-President Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Thursday said they had filed a petition on the audio-leak issue, as it is the [PM] office in which the premier’s visit to Russia was discussed and other key decisions were made taken on China, Afghanistan, post-Pulwama attack and other matters.

He said they filed a petition on the audio-leak issue because whosoever the prime minister is, Prime Minister’s Office belongs to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, which has been insulted and the conversation inside the office has come out, and in addition, the conversation of the ministers is also being recorded, after which the recording containing 8 GB data got to the internet.

He said there was no doubt that all these conversations would have been taken from the internet by the Indian and Israeli lobbies because once the conversation is put on the internet, what will be the problem for Israel and India to take it from there.

The PTI leader, during the news conference, said the Supreme Court of Pakistan should set up a commission on audio leaks and appoint a senior judge as a supervisor and put the facts before the people of Pakistan. People must be informed as to where, how and who recorded the audios and how those reached the internet, he requested the SC.

Fawad said an impression was being given about the ‘Azadi March’ that ‘jathas’ [group of people] were coming to the federal capital, and there would be bloodshed. “But, let us make it clear that our party’s method of protest is not violent,” he added. He explained that there were people of every section in the PTI, and they did not protest violently. He claimed that all other main political parties had special wings but the PTI did not have any sub-organisation.

He pointed out that Imran Khan had been addressing the youth of the country “because we depend on the younger generation and we hope that millions of youth will be part of the movement and the long march will be announced in a few days or week(s)”.

Fawad claimed that the way the government was threatening the PTI, and so many human rights violations were committed by the government from May 25 till date, was unprecedented. He added that people were caught and stripped; there were young people like Shahbaz Gill and elders like Azam Swati, who were tortured in police custody.

He said political activists and journalists like Jamil Farooqi and Imran Riaz were victimised. The PTI leader said the long march had yet not been announced but whole of Islamabad had been filled with containers. A container fell on a vehicle the day before yesterday, resulting in the death of four people, he claimed.

He said people have given verdict in favour of the PTI. Since the no-confidence motion, the PTI staged a win in 26 out of 36 by-elections. Taking a jibe at the Sindh government, Fawad said the Karachi police had forces to stop the long march, provide security to hundreds of officers and ministers including Faryal Talpur, Murad Ali Shah, but not for protection of local government elections. He said that all parties, which are not part of the present government, are criticising the Election Commission for not holding LG polls in Karachi.