Maryam calls for teaching ‘traitor’ Imran a lesson
The PML-N-led government on Wednesday lashed out at PTI Chairman Imran Khan after a controversial audio leak purportedly featuring him surfaced on Wednesday, calling the deposed premier a “traitor”, and saying that the development "laid bare" his "entire narrative of foreign conspiracy".
Earlier in the day, an audio conversation believed to be of Imran and his former principal secretary Azam Khan surfaced on social media, about a cypher that the former premier had long emphasised as evidence of a “foreign conspiracy” to oust him from the office.
In the audio clip, a voice, seemingly of Imran’s, is heard saying: “We only have to play on this. We don’t have to name [any country]. We only have to play with this, that this date was [decided] before.
“The new thing that will emerge is that the letter …”
Read Imran Khan sends diplomatic cypher to CJP
PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz sought a “strict action” against the PTI chief, alleging that he had wreaked havoc on the country.
"If this traitor Imran is not taught a lesson even after all kinds of serious crimes that have been proved today, then all of us will be considered responsible for the destruction of the country," Maryam wrote on her official Twitter handle.
She said a country of 220 million remained "hostage" for four years in the hands of "an incompetent traitor", who she claimed left no stone unturned in destroying the country.
"People like [former chief justice] Saqib Nisar declared him (Imran Khan) sadiq and ameen… what crime has not been proven against him? He himself is saying that he will play with the public," she stated.
"The sad thing is not that a foreign-trained and funded person played with the destiny of Pakistan as he had taken millions of dollars for creating chaos in the country. The worrying aspect is that Imran continued to do all that and everyone watched silently."
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said the leak had "laid bare" Imran's "entire narrative of foreign conspiracy".
Addressing a news conference, the PML-N leader accused the former premier of dividing the nation and ridiculed him over his recurring "excuse" of him and his government “falling prey to a foreign conspiracy". “Today, his entire scheme has been laid bare,” he said.
The interior minister said publicising “each and every word of the audio” was mandatory to “expose the fraud being done by this conspirator”.
After playing the leaked audio before the media, Sanaullah said the conversation was proof that "they [the PTI] were trying to create a plot".
Also read: Another audio leak surfaces, reportedly of Imran discussing 'foreign conspiracy' cypher
Sanaullah alleged that the former premier had instructed his principal secretary to play with the cypher.
“For the past six months, this swindler has been deceiving the public. During his tenure, he destroyed the country’s economy, the political culture and isolated Pakistan on a foreign level, which is why India decided to attack Kashmir, while our country was in a vulnerable state,” he said.
“He has caused irreparable damage to Pakistan politically, morally and economically,” he added.
PML-N leader Azma Bukhari demanded that Imran and other PTI leaders should be called to appear before the committee that Premier Shehbaz Sharif constituted to probe the audio leaks linked to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Meanwhile, PDM President and JUI-F emir Maulana Fazlur Rehman, in his response to the audio leaks controversy, said that they would soon call a meeting of the alliance and update policy matters.
"We are trying to take the nation out of the chaos of internal division and lead it towards national unity so that the political and economic crises can be overcome," he added.