‘Audio leak’: Yasmin seeks Alvi’s intervention to stop Zaman Park standoff

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Dr Yasmin Rashid can be heard in another purported audio leak on Wednesday, allegedly requesting President Dr Arif Alvi to intervene as the situation worsened during the police operation at Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore.

"The situation is very bad. Our workers have resorted to throwing petrol bombs and setting fires. Please explain it to Khan sahib otherwise people and policemen will be killed," Yasmin can be purportedly heard as saying.

The president responded to the PTI leader by stating that he would look into the matter, saying that he had already spoken with Asad Umar. Yasmin purportedly said that if the situation continued to deteriorate, the elections could be postponed which is unacceptable for the party leadership.

"I am intentionally out of this for the first time. I have already made a few phone calls," she said.

"My suggestion is to advice Khan sahib to give in and fight another day. This is my personal opinion, but ultimately the decision is yours. It's unlikely that he will surrender, especially with the presence of Rangers. Molotov cocktails are being used. Their water cannon was also set on fire."

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Dr Alvi stated that he would speak to Asad Umar again, to which Yasmin responded by suggesting that he should also speak to senior PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Meanwhile, in another leaked conversation allegedly between Dr Yasmin Rashid and former federal minister Brigadier (retd) Ijaz Ahmad Shah, it was stated that Imran Khan had directed all PTI MNAs and MPAs to gather workers outside his Zaman Park residence.

"He will not give [party] tickets to those who do not come. Khan sahib has said this directly," Yasmin purportedly said in the audio clip doing rounds on social media. Shah said that he was calling everyone. Yasmin added that Imran Khan had requested that his message be conveyed to everyone.

Yasmin later confirmed her conversation with Shah, stating that "I am the president of the party, will I not call my people?"

She further clarified that, "Our people have been on the streets for 23 hours. They are being shelled and tortured. I did not say anything controversial in the audio."