PM terms cable leak a ‘massive crime’

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that if the contents of a diplomatic cable sent to Islamabad last year by former Pakistan ambassador to the United States were true as being purported by a US media outlet, it was tantamount to a “massive crime”.

In an interview with a local media outlet on Thursday, Shehbaz replied in the negative when asked whether a news story published by the US media outlet proved the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief’s claims that the US had a role in his ouster through a vote of no-confidence in April 2022.

The prime minister referred to two meetings of the National Security Committee that were held on the cypher controversy under his leadership.

“In one of the meetings, former ambassador and [now] Foreign Secretary Asad Majeed clearly stated that there was no discussion of a conspiracy in his meeting with (US Assistant Secretary of State) Donald Lu,” he added.

The prime minister said that former army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and other high-ranking officials had also confirmed that there was no foreign conspiracy against Pakistan.

Shehbaz recalled that while the PTI chief claimed that such a conspiracy was hatched because of his diplomatic ties with Russia against the backdrop of the Ukraine war, the PDM-led coalition government purchased cheap oil from Russia.

“If God forbid this government was formed through a US conspiracy, it would have been a moment of shame for us,” Shehbaz said.

The prime minister also drew attention to the PTI chief’s own statements in which he retracted his own narrative and absolved the US of the blame of the alleged conspiracy.

Shehbaz asked the interviewer whether the PTI chief’s first statement was to be believed or the second one. “In itself, if the contents of the cypher are published [by the foreign media outlet], and if true, then it is a massive crime,” he said.

Read: Govt denies political motive for Imran’s arrest

Shehbaz termed Imran’s conspiracy allegations a “bunch of lies”, stressing that efforts were made by the coalition government in the past year-and-a-half to mend ties with the US and other “brotherly countries” like Saudi Arabia, which the PTI chief had soured.

Shehbaz also said PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif would come back to Pakistan next month and face his cases in courts.

He said after the caretaker government was formed, he would go to London to discuss the plan of return with his brother, Nawaz.

“Nawaz will lead the PML-N’s election campaign and be the next prime minister for the fourth time if the party’s wins the next election,” he added.

‘Seditious act’

Meanwhile, former interior minister Rana Sanaullah on Thursday called for a probe to determine the authenticity of the purported Pakistani state document reproduced by the US media outlet.

Sanaullah took to Twitter to state that if the PTI chief was found guilty of leaking the notorious diplomatic cable, he should be tried under the Official Secrets Act, which has recently been amended.

“Though there is nothing new in this story, the investigation needs to be held to establish the authenticity of the information or source document. Potentially, it is a very sinister, treacherous, and seditious act,” Sanaullah wrote.

“It should not be forgotten that Imran Khan Niazi had a copy of the cypher, which he has not returned and has accepted [on record] that he misplaced or lost it. If proven guilty, Khan should be tried under the Official Secret Act,” he added.

The PTI on the other hand, also called for the establishment of a high-powered judicial commission to thoroughly investigate the matter of cypher and subsequently make its findings public.

Cypher-gate

The cypher has been a source of controversy in Pakistan for months with Imran claiming that his ouster through the no-confidence vote was part of a foreign conspiracy while the PDM allies repeatedly denied this claim. The US also denied its involvement in Pakistan’s political affairs.

Last month, a document was circulated on social media containing a purported statement by Imran’s former aide Azam Khan, which claimed that the former prime minister used the cypher to build a false narrative to serve his political purpose.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is currently investigating the matter and has former ministers Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Asad Umar in this regard.

Intercept story

Excerpts from the diplomatic cable published by The Intercept said that Lu referred to Pakistan’s position on the Ukraine crisis, saying that people here and in Europe are quite concerned about why Pakistan is taking such an aggressively neutral position (on Ukraine).

“If such a position is even possible [...] it does not seem such a neutral stand to us. He shared that in his discussions with the NSC, ‘it seems quite clear that this is the prime minister’s policy’,” it added.

According to the text, the report said, Lu said: “I think if the no-confidence vote against the Prime Minister succeeds, all will be forgiven in Washington because the Russia visit is being looked at as a decision by the Prime Minister. Otherwise, I think it will be tough going ahead.”

The then ambassador Asad Majeed Khan also asked the US diplomat that if Pakistan’s position on Ukraine was so important to Washington, why it had not engaged with Islamabad prior to the Russia visit by Imran Khan, the report said.

At this, Donald Lu replied: “The thinking in Washington was that given the current political turmoil in Pakistan, this was not the right time for such engagement and it could wait till the political situation in Pakistan settled down.”