LAHORE - Another audio leak featuring Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and US Congresswomen Maxine Moore Waters emerged on social media on Saturday.
The former PM who blamed his ouster from power last year on the United States could be heard asking the American lawmaker to raise her voice against “human rights violations” in Pakistan.
“[This is] probably one of the most critical times in our history. We have the most bizarre situation going on in this country,” the former premier purportedly told other person in the audio believed to be US congresswoman.
In the 1.57 minutes-long audio leak, the PTI chairman briefed the US lawmaker about his ouster from power and subsequent crackdown on his party workers.
“I received three bullets in one assassination attempt. My government was removed by ex-army chief army [General Qamar Javed Bajwa] because the military establishment is very powerful here.”
“He conspired with people who are in power currently and toppled my government,” he alleged in the leaked conversation. Imran Khan added that his party was facing the “worst crackdown” which, according to him, no democratic party had ever faced in the country’s history. While requesting Congresswoman Waters to issue a statement in his party’s favour, Khan said: “We would appreciate here because it goes a long way when someone like you Maxine gave a statement.”
“All we want is just the rule of law and Constitution and fundamental rights. We just want a statement highlighting [crackdown] and that would really help us when someone like you Maxine speaks up it makes a lot of waves,” he added.
The alleged audio came in the backdrop of ongoing crackdown on PTI workers and leaders after they resorted to violent protests following party chief Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9 in graft case.
On the other hand, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Interior Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was begging a US Congresswoman to help and protect him, after instigating his people to attack the defence installation, burn monuments and sensitive buildings.
Addressing a press conference along with Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Defence Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, he said PTI’s miscreants had been involved in vandalism that took place on May 9, as they damaged memorials of martyrs and sensitive defence installations including the Jinnah House and replica of Chaghai mountain.
He said that Imran Khan, after an arson attack on the defence installations, wanted those who committed violence and vandalism to be spared so that they could attack the institutions again. Now he was begging the US Congresswoman to support him under the pretext of political victimisation, he added.
Atta Tarar said that it’s time that Imran Khan would have to face the charges, adding that today Imran Khan was alleging that it was political victimisation, but he did not know real political victimization was judicial murder of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Attock Fort detention of Nawaz Sharif, and exile of PML-N leadership through conspiracies.
The SAPM said that PTI’s miscreants including Tayyaba Raja and Sanam Javed were present in Zaman Khan and they had been involved in spreading hate about the national institutions.
He said that Imran Khan was not capable of leading the country, and the PTI was an anti-Pakistan party, which would have no place in the country’s politics. Many PTI leaders wanted to join the PML-N, he claimed.
Speaking on the occasion, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan said that firstly Imran Khan created chaos and disorder in society, attacked national installations, Askari Bank branches, monuments of martyrs and then telephoned the US Congresswoman, asking help to save him. He said that some PTI workers had been arrested, as legal action was being taken only against those who were directly involved in instigating violence and causing vandalism on May 9. Malik Ahmad said that Imran Khan begged the US Congresswoman to start lobbying for him and write letters to take other people on board and after taking them on-board, they thought the US government could approach the Pakistan’s government in favour of him, he added.
Now, the PTI was getting relief from courts in various cases including foreign funding case, Tausha Khana, which was unfortunate that some elements sided with the PTI, he added.
He said that everyone in foreign relations knew about cipher, but Imran Khan hatched a conspiracy about US cipher which was used for correspondence between the countries, adding that Imran Khan’s rebuttal of the foreign conspiracy theory was a reminder of his vicious role he played to harm Pakistan’s external relations.
The SAPM said that after Imran Khan’s foreign conspiracy narrative got exposed, he tried to link it with freedom from the defence institution in a public gathering by saying that the defence institution could not stay neutral and they should be on his (Imran’s) side. Imran Khan had criticised the national institution just to achieve his political agendas and get their support, he asserted.
Imran Khan hatched a conspiracy against the defence institution, which was rejected by the people of the country, he said and added that those two women, Tayyaba Raja and Sanam Javed, had always spread vulgarities and hate which could not be tolerated. Imran Khan and other PTI leaders had instigated them to violence, vulgarity and arson, he added.
Malik Ahmad Khan said that Imran Khan had caused severe damage to the national economy, violated the agreement with the IMF, and signed agreements to purchase costly gas and electricity. It could never be imagined what happened on May 9, he said, adding that the attack on the government buildings, putting PTI’s flags on sensitive installations and burning of monuments was highly condemnable. He said that a commission should be set up to probe the cipher conspiracy and violent incidents, saying that Imran Khan’s dual standards for begging help from the US Congresswoman was shameful and condemnable.
Today, it was revealed to him that an inquiry regarding cipher conspiracy was conducted in which 50 notices were sent to Azam Khan, but he did not respond to even a single one, while other members including Shah Mehmood Qureshi should also answer about the allegations of cipher conspiracy, he added. To a question, Atta Tarar said that Shaukat Tarin fled the country when he was served a notice by the FIA about violation of the IMF agreement and he would not return now.
To a query, Malik Ahmad Khan said that those who attacked defence installations, burnt the monuments and attacked the properties could not be called politicians.