Audio leak: 'PPP told PML-N that MQM-P should be sidelined'

Mustafa Kamal, a senior leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), acknowledged the authenticity of a leaked audio recording circulating online. However, he downplayed its significance, stating that it is not uncommon for political opponents to question the validity of rivals' mandates.

“An audio attributed to me has gone viral on social media. I endorse it,” Kamal, who served as Karachi’s mayor and was elected as an MNA in the general elections, said in a short video statement.

In the leaked audio clip, Kamal started by explaining to his party’s Rabita Committee about the situation that took place when an MQM-P delegation went to meet the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders.

The MQM-P and the PML-N are holding negotiations on government formation at the Centre, with several rounds of talks already taking place in the lead-up to the National Assembly session.

“We were called late at night to meet the PML-N people. It felt like [...] they were not in the mood of meeting us,” Kamal was heard in the audio as saying.

He said that the PML-N delegation told their MQM-P counterparts that after this meeting, they also had to meet PPP’s leadership. At this, MQM-P leaders asked what was the agreement so far. To this, they were told that the discussions were confidential.

“But they told us two things: The PPP is saying that the MQM-P’s mandate is 100% fake. The second is that the PPP’s claiming that the PML-N and the PPP have complete numbers [for government formation], so the MQM-P should be sidelined.”

In an explanation of the video later on, Kamal said that the audio was authentic and he was informing his party members, on Sunday, about the meetings that took place with the PML-N.

“All of you know that the Peoples Party is saying this publicly on TV. We are saying as well that their mandate is fake and vice versa. There is no news here,” the top MQM-P leader said.

He further added that the “important point” in all of this was that this was a meeting of the Rabita Committee. “For several days, we suspected that some people belonging to MQM-London were amongst our rank and file and they are working for them.”

Kamal added that after a thorough forensic of the audio, we got confirmation about who exactly leaked that audio. “This was released [by a member of the MQM-London].”

The ex-Karachi mayor also said that MQM-London released the audio, thinking that they got their hands “on something very big”.