Cipher probe

The cipher saga seems to be reaching its zenith, with the government approving an inquiry into the claims in ex-PM Imran Khan and other PTI leaders’ audio leaks regarding how they will “play” the cipher to support the false narrative that the US was behind his unceremonious dismissal. According to a notification, FIA has also been authorised to bring in officers from other intelligence agencies to support the probe into the PTI government’s “criminal conspiracy” to use “fraud, forgery [and] fabrication” to give the cipher “fictitious meanings for political mileage”. The FIA-led inquiry team will also investigate the disappearance of at least one copy of the cipher, which is technically a confidential state document. Some reports suggest the cipher was taken to Imran’s house in Bani Gala, and the government is already referring to its disappearance as a “theft” and an “unforgivable crime”.

The PTI leadership’s defence so far has been stupefying. Everyone commenting on the government’s actions has issued some variation of the statement that the cabinet’s actions prove “the cipher is a reality”. The problem is that nobody ever denied the cipher’s existence, only that the PTI’s claims regarding its contents were false. The US envoy, quite bluntly, told the Pakistani envoy in a closed-door meeting — not an official communique — that Washington has no interest in working with Imran because of his anti-US rhetoric and actions. It’s no news that foreign and Pakistani diplomats have made far harsher comments in interactions not meant for public consumption because those are the only interactions where diplomats can speak frankly.

Further supporting the fact that even Imran did not think this amounted to a conspiracy against him is that he did not want the US named by any of his government and party’s mouthpieces. This is because he probably thought the relationship with the US could still be salvaged — after all, Imran probably believes he knows the US better than Joe Biden. Unfortunately, it appears the former premier still doesn’t know the magnitude of the crime he stands accused of.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2022.

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