Fawad suggests patch-up between Nawaz, Imran

Ex-minister apologises to ECP, appears before FIA inquiry team on cipher issue

ISLAMABAD:

Former information minister Fawad Chaudhry expressed his concerns on Tuesday regarding the upcoming general elections, citing extreme polarisation in the country that needed to be addressed.

Chaudhry, who had previously served as a minister in the PTI government, appeared before a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) inquiry team investigating the cipher issue and a contempt case involving the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Chaudhry submitted a written apology for contempt of the ECP and the chief election commissioner (CEC).

He highlighted that the current political situation in the country was far from normal, largely due to the acrimony prevailing among various political parties.

He further asserted that holding elections in such a divisive atmosphere would not lead to resolving the nation's problems.

When asked about measures to restore normalcy, Chaudhry emphasized the need to bridge the differences and bitterness among the establishment, Nawaz Sharif, and Imran Khan.

He proposed the implementation of a "charter of democracy" before the elections, which he believed could reduce the distance between the establishment, PML-N Quaid, and PTI chairman.

Additionally, Chaudhry questioned the credibility of the incoming caretaker government, which, he claimed, would be formed by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and National Assembly Opposition Leader Raja Riaz.

He expressed concern about the ongoing conflicts among political parties and emphasized the necessity to address these divisions before proceeding with elections.

Earlier, Chaudhry appeared before the ECP and submitted a written apology, but the CEC raised concerns about certain conditions mentioned in the first three lines of the apology.

Chaudhry's lawyer, Faisal Chaudhry, argued that these were technical matters and urged the acceptance of the apology.

The CEC reserved the decision on the matter until after thoroughly reviewing the written apology, with the hearing scheduled for August 15.

Fawad Chaudhry also appeared before a joint inquiry team of the FIA, where he provided a statement and answered questions for over five hours.

Chaudhry clarified that certain matters discussed during the inquiry were under oath and could not be disclosed in public.

He later informed reporters that the discussions primarily pertained to facts from cabinet and National Security Committee (NSC) meetings during his tenure.

In response to a reporter's question, Chaudhry denied being offered the role of an approver in the matter or any discussion related to such an offer.

The cipher issue, which involved a document waved by former prime minister Imran Khan in March of the previous year, had been presented as evidence of a foreign conspiracy leading to Imran Khan's ouster through a no-confidence motion.

Subsequently, purported audio leaks of the former prime minister emerged, prompting the federal cabinet to order an FIA inquiry into both the cipher issue and the leaked audios.

Former prime minister Imran Khan also appeared before the inquiry team on July 25 to record his statement. Notably, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi and former secretary general Asad Umar had also appeared before the FIA team on July 24.

Moreover, a statement attributed to the former prime minister's principal secretary, Azam Khan, emerged regarding the cipher issue.

The FIA had summoned the PTI chairman to appear before the team at noon on Tuesday, but he did not show up during office hours.