Cabinet approves legal action against Imran over ‘cypher’ issue
Reports from Sunday say that the federal cabinet has officially agreed to take legal action against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan and other members of his party over the “cypher” audio leaks.
The cabinet gave the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) the go-ahead to look into the “diplomatic cypher” audio leaks, in which former government officials are said to have discussed how they would “play” the cypher issue.
A cabinet committee was established on September 30 to discuss the events surrounding the tape leaks, including the PTI chairman and top party leaders, including General-Secretary Asad Umar, then-personal secretary Azam Khan, and Vice President Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
In a meeting held yesterday, the committee suggested going to court, and a summary of its suggestions was given to the cabinet for approval.
The cabinet committee stated in a notification, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, that “this is a matter of national security that could have possible adverse effects on the country’s interest.” It added that legal action was “necessary” and that the FIA should form a committee made up of senior officials to investigate the matter.
According to the committee’s summary, “the FIA team shall take measures against offenders in accordance with the law”.
The recently found audio leak, which allegedly showed Imran Khan, Asad Umar, Azam Khan, and Shah Mahmood Qureshi talking about the much-talked-about “threat cypher,” has put the former ruling party in the spotlight and ratcheted up the controversy surrounding the steady drip of damning leaks that allegedly show the inside story.
Cabinet approves legal action against Imran over ‘cypher’ issue
The 1.09-minute audio clip was shared on social media, and it was said that Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, and Azam Khan were talking about how to use the Cablegate scandal to build a storyline.
