Reality of cipher can’t be denied: Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said no one can deny the reality of the cipher issue, local media reported.

While giving answers to questions on social media, Imran Khan said on March 7, US diplomat Donald Lu in a meeting with the Pakistani envoy threatened to oust his government. The envoy confirmed the whole development through a cipher to the Foreign Office of Pakistan.

Imran Khan said all of a sudden, after tabling of the no-confidence motion, some PTI MNAs and allied parties decided to leave the government by cursing it. “We have all the details of the people who met officials of the US consulate,” he added.

Responding to a question about DG ISPR Major General Iftikhar Babar’s comments on the cipher, Imran Khan said, “Will DG ISPR decide if there was any conspiracy or not.” It can be the point of view of DG ISPR Major General Iftikhar Babar, but he cannot pass the judgment. He reiterated his demand for the formation of a judicial commission to probe the 'threatening cipher' to find out the hidden facts in the issue. “The Supreme Court should form a committee and investigate the matter.”

The former prime minister said corrupt people have been imposed on the country. Asif Ali Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif want to settle their own corruption cases and they are destroying the FIA and NAB, he alleged. He also lauded the nation for hitting the streets after the ouster of his government and directed the youth to start preparing for the next elections and get their vote registered with the ECP.

Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Asad Umar Wednesday said that it would be better for the army and the country if the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) doesn't find it necessary to interpret political affairs again and again. Politicians, he contended, should be allowed to deal with political matters.

He expressed these views during a news conference here. Flanked by PTI Senior Vice President Dr Shireen Mazari, Asad Umar said that one of the military leaderships had spoken in an interview that facts and opinions should be looked at separately, and he had also read two or four sentences from the threat letter given by the US.

The PTI leader said the threat letter had directly threatened Pakistan, saying if the no-confidence motion failed and Imran Khan remained as prime minister, Pakistan would be isolated and there would be difficulties for Pakistan. He said the letter had mentioned that everything would be forgiven if the no-confidence motion succeeded against Imran Khan. He added this was written in a press release issued after the two-time national security committee meeting, which clearly used the words 'external interference' and said that external interference was in no way acceptable.

"It is true that there are no two opinions as we believe that there was external interference because if we look at the earlier actions, how the foreign ambassador especially kept meeting members who later changed loyalties and how the money kept coming and the conscience of these members was washed away,” he noted.

Asad Umar contended, “There is no answer in the National Security Committee meeting that the conspiracy was not for any major change, and the DG ISPR even rightly says that some members of the military leadership said in this meeting that they did not see an evidence of any external conspiracy.” He pointed out that the civilian leadership in the National Security Committee meeting saw that there was an external conspiracy, which was an opinion.

The PTI leader emphasised that Imran Khan is a person who follows the Constitution and law, so he has not issued any order that everyone should accept that there has been an external conspiracy and start punishing the people involved. But Imran Khan brought that letter to the cabinet and urged the apex court to set up a judicial commission but the government was ousted in the meantime.

Asad Umar said that it was still their appeal to form a judicial commission, which should hold a public hearing on the issue and the whole of Pakistan should see what evidence is being put forward. He said that only then, it should be decided on the basis that there was indeed an external conspiracy and who was involved in it. He said that let the facts be brought before the nation. He argued this was done by a prime minister who had formed the government with more than 15 million votes. He said the prime minister has a responsibility to defend national security, because defending national security is not just the job of the army, but it is the primary responsibility of the elected leadership of the nation.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan, he noted, would again write a letter to the Supreme Court for this purpose. He said the Supreme Commander of the Pakistani Army is the President of Pakistan, who wrote to the Chief Justice that he should set up a commission and find answers to these questions. Asad Umar said that Imran Khan only says that it is the right of the nation to know the truth.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Shireen Mazari said that the DG ISPR stated that it was his point of view, which was unacceptable. She maintained that as DG ISPR said that after investigation, a report was presented but no such report was presented in the NSC meeting, which discussed the cipher issue. She said it was wrong to say that the decision to visit Russia was taken by Imran Khan himself, as reality was that all stakeholders were onboard in this regard. “It is wrong to say that Imran was lying. It is unacceptable,” she noted. However, she said it should be investigated to ascertain as to who provided the wrong information to the Americans regarding Imran Khan’s Russia visit.

Shireen Mazari went on to say that they were preparing a list of the people who held meetings with the US ambassador. She raised a question as to why the Americans met Raja Riaz and others. She wondered that the letter came to the Foreign Ministry and the foreign minister was unaware. She said that the US replicated in Pakistan the same old conspiracy model used against Mossadegh in Iran. “The letter should be investigated, so that such an incident could not be repeated; the conspiracy was hatched only to destroy and enslave Pakistan,” she said.