ISLAMABAD: In the latest addition to the series of audio leaks allegedly featuring PTI Chairman Imran Khan, another audio tape surfaced on social media Friday evening in which the former prime minister could be allegedly heard talking to two of his party leaders — Asad Umar and Shireen Mazari — about the foreign cypher.
This is the second audio leak on the same day where the PTI chief is discussing the cypher with his party members. So far, four audios of Khan have been leaked.
"You have to feed the narrative of Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq [to the masses]," the PTI chief is allegedly heard directing Umar and Mazari in the audio.
He allegedly also directed his party members to spoonfeed the public with the said narrative, as "their minds are already fertile ground and you have to feed them this".
Earlier today, purported audio of Khan was leaked on social media which exposed the former prime minister's alleged involvement in horse-trading during his time as the PM.
In the audio, the PTI chair was heard saying, "You are mistaken in thinking the number game is complete."
However, it is unclear to whom Khan was speaking.
Out of a total of four, this was the third alleged audio of the PTI chairman related to the cypher, leaked in the last few weeks following a series of audios which purportedly featured representatives of the incumbent government. In the previous two audio tapes, PTI leaders allegedly discussed US conspiracy and how to use it in their favour.
Asad Umar: There's another thing in hindsight that we've taken up with regard to the letter issue, we should have started it at least a week or 10 days ago.
Imran Khan: This letter, which we are thinking about, has had an impact across the world.
Shireen Mazari: The Chinese have issued an official statement [...] that they condemn America's interference in our internal affairs.
Imran Khan: The strategy is that the public is with us and now we have to channelise this public pressure [this Sunday] and ensure that the pressure reaches such a height that anyone who goes to the [National] Assembly to vote, they are branded for life. But the brand that you assign is: Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq. You have to spoonfeed people as their minds are already fertile ground and you have to feed them this [narrative].
Reacting to Khan's third alleged audio leak earlier today, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said that the latest audio leaks "exposed the hypocrisy" of the PTI leader.
"Someone who does get tired of lecturing nation on morality is himself blatantly involved in immoral horse trading," the PM wrote in a tweet.
'People know where these are being produced': Fawad Chaudry
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry also reacted to the third audio leak and claimed that the audio was "edited" and that the public knows the source of the audio leaks.
"Can you justify the NRO22 by making such audios? It won't happen. People know where these are being produced and how," he tweeted, adding that the long march will decide the future.
Several audios have been leaked online in a span of eight days — three of the incumbent government and two of PTI.
The first tape allegedly featured Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and a senior official. It contained a discussion regarding PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz asking for a power plant to be imported from India for her son-in-law.
On September 25, two more audios were leaked on social media. One of them was related to a discussion about the PTI's resignation and the other was about former finance minister Miftah Ismail.
The first audio related to PTI was leaked on September 28, in which Khan allegedly told his then-principal secretary Azam Khan to "play" with the US cypher.
The second PTI audio leak came to the fore on September 30, which allegedly exposed Khan's conspiracy narrative.
In it, the then-prime minister Khan, ex-minister Asad Umar, and the then-principle secretary Azam could allegedly be heard discussing the US cypher in a meeting and how to use it in their interest.
Following the back-to-back leaks, the National Security Council (NSC) approved the formation of a high-level committee under the leadership of Sanauallah to investigate the matter of the audio leaks.
In its meeting just a day after on September 30, the federal cabinet also endorsed NSC's decision to conduct a thorough investigation into the issue.
However, despite the government's decision to probe the matter, two more audios were leaked featuring Khan and his aides.
In the first audio leaked on October 7, Khan was allegedly heard speaking about horse-trading and discussed “buying five” and “numbers game”. However, he was speaking alone and no one else could be heard.
In another audio leaked later in the same day, the former prime minister was allegedly heard making a plan ahead of the no-confidence motion with PTI leaders Shireen Mazari and Asad Umar.
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