In a turn of events straight out of a spy movie, more purported audio clips featuring leaders of the ruling coalition surfaced on Sunday as the opposition PTI questioned the security of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Just a day earlier, an audio recording of an alleged conversation, purportedly between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and a government official, was leaked on social media.
In the over two-minute-long audio clip, shared by PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry on his Twitter account, a voice — said to be that of PM Shehbaz — could be heard saying that Maryam Nawaz had asked him to facilitate her son-in-law Raheel with the import of machinery for a power plant, from India.
The clips which surfaced today, shared on Twitter by several PTI leaders, concerned embattled Finance Minister Miftah Ismail and the resignations of PTI lawmakers from the National Assembly.
The first clip purportedly features a conversation between PML-N Vice President Maryam and the premier about Miftah, who has reportedly faced criticism from within the party for taking tough economic measures.
The PML-N vice president has publicly stated that she does not agree with the decision to hike petrol and electricity prices, saying she did not own such decisions, whether her party was in government or not.
“He doesn’t take responsibility […] says strange things on TV which people make fun of him for […] he doesn’t know what he is doing,” the voice said to be Maryam’s says in the alleged clip.
“He clearly cut corners,” the voice said to be PM Shehbaz’s is heard as saying.
“Uncle, he doesn’t know what he is doing,” Maryam purportedly says, as she wishes for the return of PML-N stalwart Ishaq Dar.
Former finance minister Dar is set to return to the country next week to facilitate PM Shehbaz on the economic front.
The second clip allegedly concerns a conversation between the premier, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Law Minister Azam Tarar, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and former NA speaker Ayaz Sadiq about the resignations of PTI lawmakers from the lower house of parliament.
A third clip purportedly features a conversation between Maryam and PM Shehbaz regarding the return of former army chief retired Gen Pervez Musharraf.
The former military ruler’s family publicly confirmed in June that he was “going through a difficult stage” where recovery was not possible while Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar said Musharraf’s family was in contact with the military regarding his planned return.
Discussing this in the alleged clip, the voice alleged to be Maryam’s can be heard saying that she “sees this coming”, adding that she said the same to Nawaz in a phone call.
“I told him to tweet this. He listened to me immediately,” the PML-N vice president allegedly says, adding that the move was “opposed” by several people. She allegedly reasons that showing “magnanimity” in this situation would help the government save face.
Hours after Gen Iftikhar’s comments were aired in June, Nawaz had tweeted, saying: “I have no personal enmity or animosity towards Pervez Musharraf. I don’t want anyone else to suffer the trauma I have had to endure.”
Govt taking the leaks ‘very seriously’: Talal
Meanwhile, PML-N leader Talal Chaudhry, who holds no official position, said the government was taking the leaks “very seriously” and demanded an investigation into it.
Addressing a press conference in Faisalabad, he questioned the violation of the secrecy of official correspondences, saying it was shocking to note that “even the PM House is not safe”.
“Does it mean that details of all national security meetings will be leaked internationally?” he asked.
The PML-N leader also sought to expose the elements behind the leaks.
“Who is doing all this? who is targeting the PM House? Are these same elements who had brought Imran into power?” he questioned.
He said the leaks was also a matter of shame for the PTI chief, pointing out that “even our private discussions are in fact transparent and merit is being discussed in it”.
The PML-N leader, however, did not question the authenticity of the audio at any point in his presser.
It is pertinent to mention here that no minister has so far commented on the leaks.
However, the PML-N tweeted a response to the allegation regarding the grid station that was talked about in the leaked audio, saying that its installation order was given by the Lahore High Court in 2020 during the PTI’s government.
Fazl demands ‘strict action’
Later, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also mentioned the leaks at a press conference in Multan and said the matter was “very concerning” which he said required “strict action”.
“Today, audio calls of the Prime Minister House are surfacing, therefore I will urge the premier to take strict action and inquire as to who hacked the conversation,” he said.
‘PML-N’s corruption exposed in the wake of audio leaks,’ claims Imran
While the government maintained its silence on the matter on Sunday, PTI leaders were in overdrive questioning the PMO’s security.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan, at a rally in Karak, chastised Maryam, alleging that “she is involved in corruption and illegal acts since coming into power.”
He claimed that the incumbent coalition government was now trying to revive trade ties with India for its own mileage.
“The trade between the two countries hasn’t resumed, but Maryam’s son-in-law is illegally procuring machinery from India, which shows that they worship money,” he said while alleging the PML-N “will ignore the sacrifices of Kashmiris for money as well”.
Imran said that the leaks had also made it clear that the “PML-N came into power only to make money” and claimed that its whole political dynasty was involved in corruption.
Earlier, PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry said that the way the PMO data was offered up for sale on the dark web showed the state of the country’s cybersecurity.
“This is a failure of our intelligence agencies, especially the Intelligence Bureau (IB). Obviously, apart from political issues, important discussions on security and foreign issues are now in everyone’s hands,” he remarked.
KP minister Taimur Khan Jhagra, who has also been a victim of an audio leak, said: “8GB of hacked leaks from PMO. Regardless of who is speaking, this Orwellian culture of recordings is disgusting.”
Will someone answer under what law and who is taping the conversations of the political leadership, whether in the PMO or on the phone, he questioned. “And who is accountable for the security of this data?”
Ex-human rights minister Shireen Mazari said one of the alleged audios showed the laying down of groundwork for Dar’s return.
“The leaked audios certainly reveal the influence of convict Nawaz Sharif and his convict-on-bail daughter in the running of this imported government itself a cabal of crooks,” she said.
She went on to say that the “real issue” was who bugged the PMO or the Prime Minister’s House in the first place.
“The hacking happened because devices were placed in these locations. So who is responsible and where did orders or decisions come from? That is a question that must also be focused on,” she said.
