Tag: Imran Khan

  • ‘Absolutely no truth in regime change’: US Ambassador says would work with whatever government Pakistanis elect

    ‘Absolutely no truth in regime change’: US Ambassador says would work with whatever government Pakistanis elect

    United States (US) Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome, in an interview with The News, said there is “absolutely no truth” in the allegations of regime change in Pakistan and said that he is “very much hopeful that the countries can get past this and get back to important work”.

    He said, “We want to see an independent, prosperous and strong Pakistan. That’s what we believe is in our interest and in the interest of the region. As for the allegations, there is absolutely no truth in that. We have spoken to them, myself, and in Washington.”

    To a question by the newspaper about the possibility of Imran Khan coming into power again, and the US reaction to it, the US ambassador said that his country “Would work with whatever government the Pakistani people select”.

    On the matter of Imran Khan’s demand to hold an inquiry into the cipher issue, the ambassador was of the view that it is not his position to talk about whether the inquiry should be made or not. During the interview, Bloom revealed that he had not met Imran Khan.

    The ambassador said it’s important to clarify that the US, in no way, asks Pakistan or any other country to “Choose a single economic partner, bloc or anything else like that”.

    Furthermore, Blome credited the government for securing the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) deal and termed it a “significant accomplishment”.

    Talking about Pakistan’s debt, the ambassador said that Pakistan does not have an enormous amount of debt with the US in particular. “So, the Paris Club debt is a relatively small amount. It is how the US would be working with Pakistan to defer payments,” he stated.

    However, he reiterated that US wants to help Pakistan to navigate through this very difficult period

    Blome also dismissed any talk about his country using Pakistan air bases.

    ‘We want to build and reset these relations back to normal: PM Shehbaz Sharif

    At the US embassy, where Bloom was also present, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif expressed hope to reset US-Pakistan relations.

    “I want to say this very sincerely today that we want to build and reset these relations back to normal on the basis of trust, respect, and mutual understanding,” he declared.

    On Thursday (September 29) a diplomatic reception was held at the US embassy in Islamabad to commemorate the 75 years of relations between Pakistan and the US.

    “As I said, there will be a lot of what your [US] side will want to say but as long as we renew this friendship with sincere and serious dialogue, I can assure you that nothing will go wrong,” Shehbaz Sharif said.

    The Pakistani premier stressed that it is time for the two countries to move forward and find ways to warm up the relationship to the same degree as it was in the past.

    The prime minister also recalled that during his visit to New York, he met US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken who assured him of support for the flood-affected people.

  • ‘Kis mulk se yeh letter aya hai, mai kisi ke moo se sun’na nahi chahta’: Khan

    ‘Kis mulk se yeh letter aya hai, mai kisi ke moo se sun’na nahi chahta’: Khan

    The season of leaks rages on in the country as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman’s part two of the first audio leak on the ‘cipher’ got released on Friday, September 30.

    The latest audio, reportedly featuring PTI’s Imran Khan, Asad Umar and Azam Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, can be heard below.

    The script of the second audio goes as follows:

    Imran Khan: “Okay Shah Jee [Shah Mahmood Qureshi] tomorrow we will be doing a meeting. Three of us [Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Asad Umar] and the foreign secretary. In the meeting we will quietly write the minutes of the meeting. Azam is saying we will make the minutes…. and keep a photo copy of it.”

    Azam Khan: “This cipher came on the 8th or 9th March. It came on 8th March.”

    Imran Khan: “But the meeting took place on 7th. By no means will we be taking the name of Americans. So please, no one should take the country’s name on this issue. This is very important for all of you. I don’t want to hear the name of the country from where the letter came from any ones mouth.”

    Asad Umar: “Are you intentionally calling it a letter. This isn’t a letter, it is a transcript of the meeting.”

    Imran Khan: “It is the same thing, whether it be a meeting’s transcript of a letter. People wouldn’t have understood the transcript. You say [things] like this in your jalsa.”

    ‘Is par hi khelna hai’: Imran warns not to reveal United States involvement

    Khan in his first leaked audio, could be heard talking about the alleged foreign conspiracy against him with his then principal secretary Azam Khan.

    Khan discusses how to frame the narrative around the alleged conspiracy that resulted in the ouster of his government. He tells Azam Khan: ‘Iss par hi khelna hai’, without mentioning the name of the United States and they discuss how to form a team on the issue.

    The “cipher” lies at the heart of PTI’s claim that the US plotted with individuals within Pakistan to remove Khan from office. It is based on then-envoy Asad Majeed’s meeting with State Department employee Donald Lu..

    ‘Abhi toh khela hi nahi mai’: Imran Khan responds to new leaked audio

    Khan broke his silence on the leaked audio, and said that he has not played on the cipher yet.

    Khan in the new leaked audio, can be heard talking about the alleged foreign conspiracy against him with his then principal secretary Azam Khan.

    When asked who leaked the audio, Imran blamed Shehbaz Sharif.

    “It is good that the audio got leaked, I would say the cypher should also be leaked. So that everyone should come to know how big was that foreign conspiracy.”

    “Abhi toh khela hi nahi mai,” said Khan. Translation: I have not played with it yet and will play when they expose it.

  • ‘Madam Zeba ko batana ke Imran Khan aya tha maazrat karnay’: Khan ne maangi mafi

    ‘Madam Zeba ko batana ke Imran Khan aya tha maazrat karnay’: Khan ne maangi mafi

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan appeared before the court of Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry on Friday to apologise for his remarks against her at a public rally.

    However, when Khan arrived at the court of Zeba Chaudhry, she was reportedly on leave and not present at the court.

    He asked the court Reader to stand witness to his appearance in Chaudhry’s court to offer an apology.

    Addressing the Reader, the former Prime Minister said, “Madam Zeba ko batana hai ke Imran khan aya tha, mazrat karna chahta tha agar un ke ilfaz se koi dil azari hui ho,” he told the reader. (Tell Madam Zeba Chaudhry that Imran Khan had visited and wanted to apologise if any of his words hurt her sentiments).

    Earlier this month, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) decided to frame charges against Khan in a contempt of court case registered against him for his controversial remarks about Zeba during a rally in Islamabad on August 20.

    However, after many delays, Khan apologised to the high court, saying, “Mai khaatoon judge se zaati taur pe maafi maangta hoon”, (I personally apologise to the female judge).

    Following this, the high court remarked that it would not be appropriate to conduct contempt proceedings against Khan. The PTI chairman also requested the high court to allow him to apologise to Judge Zeba Chaudhry in person.

    In August, Khan addressed a party rally to express solidarity with then-arrested PTI’s Shahbaz Gill and threatened Chaudhry. He said, “Zeba! Be ready, we will take action against you.”

    Chaudhry had approved Gill’s two-day physical remand at the request of the capital police.

  • ‘Our state institutions have carried out an exercise to secure PMO’: Tarar

    ‘Our state institutions have carried out an exercise to secure PMO’: Tarar

    Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has said that state institutions have taken steps to secure the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and changed some standard operating procedures (SOPs).

    “Our state institutions have carried out an exercise to secure the PMO and ensure [security],” he stated.

    “Some SOPs have been changed which I think is a government responsibility as oftentimes many sensitive matters are discussed in such places and there should be an environment where you are 100 per cent satisfied that you’re making national decisions in a secure environment,” he told reporters.

    He explained that basic SOPs were already in place for “sensitive buildings”, adding that further orders have been issued to make security measures effective and
    “It will be an effort to introduce a culture and environment, not just in the PMO, but in all departments where you can ensure that sensitive information will not be leaked.”

    These steps were taken after several audio leaks surfaced of PM Shehbaz and former PM Imran Khan.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry said that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa had informed Imran Khan multiple times that the PM House is unsafe for important conversations.

    “The army chief told Imran Khan that the points that what we discuss here is recorded and leaked later on,” he said, adding that, “General Bajwa had said Nawaz Sharif stepped out of PM House when he wanted to talk to him about some vital issue.”

    The PTI leader said that it is unacceptable for PM Office to be hacked, regardless of who is premier — whether Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif or Imran Khan.

  • ‘Imran Khan aur is ka coach shamil hain’, Maryam Nawaz claims that she knows who is behind audio leaks

    ‘Imran Khan aur is ka coach shamil hain’, Maryam Nawaz claims that she knows who is behind audio leaks

    After getting acquitted by Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz accepted that four recent audio leaks were hers.

    While speaking outside the court, Maryam claimed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and his “coach” were behind these audio leaks.

    “I know who is doing all of this. Yeh Imran Khan aur is ka coach shamil ha” (Both Imran Khan and his coach are involved), she said.

    In response to a question, Maryam said a nexus comprising “Imran, his coach and a couple of TV channels” were behind the audio leaks.

    Reaction to her audio leaks:

    She also reacted to the leaks in which an unknown person and her uncle [Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif] could be heard talking about purchasing machinery for her son-in-law’s plant from India. She claimed that “Imran Khan should be ashamed because Raheel purchased the first half of machinery during his tenure as PM”.

    According to her, “Raheel submitted an application to purchase the second half of machinery but PM Shehbaz told him that now Pakistan has stopped importing things from India”. She added after that the “Matter was closed then”.

    Commenting on the audio in which she asked PM Shehbaz to discontinue the PTI’s Sehat Card initiative, Maryam insisted that the health project was launched by PML-N supremo Nawaz.

    “I asked the PM to own the programme launched by his party and I never said to discontinue the initiative,” she said.

    ‘Imran Khan did forgery in PM Office’: Maryam Nawaz

    On Imran Khan’s audio leaks, Maryam Nawaz said, “Imran thinks of Pakistan as Oval Ground and Qadaffi Stadium. He used to tamper then as a cricketer, now he is passing instructions that do tampering with minutes of the meeting.”

    In the audio leak, which was released on Wednesday, Khan discusses how to frame the narrative around the alleged conspiracy that resulted in the ouster of his government. He tells his then principal secretary Azam Khan: ‘Iss par hi khelna hai’, (let’s play with it) without mentioning the name of the United States and they discuss how to form a team on the issue.

    Maryam Nawaz also took a jibe at former First Lady Bushra Bibi, saying that “She told Ex Focal Person Digital Media to former PM, Arslan Khalid, to make a statement against Khan’s opponents and run a campaign to prove them, traitors, while her husband who was in power at the time did forgery in PM Office.”

    She also demanded that a “high-powered” joint investigation team (JIT) — consisting of government ministers, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials and law ministry representatives — be formed to probe the alleged audio leak of Imran Khan and Azam.

    “I believe the facts that have emerged should lead to his [Imran’s] arrest and he must be jailed straightaway,” she said.

    ‘NAB made a video of me while I was in night suit’: Maryam Nawaz

    Moreover, she said when NAB arrested her in Karachi, a person made a video of her without consent while she was in her night suit.

    “If they release this video, nothing can be more shameless and cheap”, she added.

    She also said, “If the video releases, people will see how they treated me in jail”.

    On Thursday, IHC acquitted Maryam Nawaz and her husband Captain (retd) Safdar in the Avenfield reference, nullifying the conviction handed to them in 2018 by an accountability court.

  • Gen Bajwa told Imran Khan that it is not safe to talk at PM House, says Fawad

    Gen Bajwa told Imran Khan that it is not safe to talk at PM House, says Fawad

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry said that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa had informed former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan multiple times that the PM House is unsafe for important conversations.

    “The army chief told Imran Khan that the points that what we discuss here is recorded and leaked later on,” he said, adding that, “General Bajwa had said Nawaz Sharif stepped out of PM House when he wanted to talk to him about some vital issue.”

    The PTI leader said that it is unacceptable for PM Office to be hacked, regardless of who is premier — whether Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif or Imran Khan.

    Fawad said he doesn’t support the PM’s telephones being tapped.

    Fawad’s comments come after several audio leaks of PM Shehbaz Sharif along with federal minister were leaked.

    On Wednesday, September 28, an audio of Khan was leaked as well.

    Khan can be heard talking about the alleged foreign conspiracy against him with his then principal secretary Azam Khan.

    He tells Azam Khan: ‘Iss par hi khelna hai’, without mentioning the name of the United States, and they then discuss how to form a team on the issue.

    The “cipher” lies at the heart of PTI’s claim that the US plotted with individuals within Pakistan to remove Khan from office. It is based on then-envoy Asad Majeed’s meeting with State Department employee Donald Lu.

  • Govt to conduct forensic audit of Shehbaz, Imran audios: Sanaullah

    Govt to conduct forensic audit of Shehbaz, Imran audios: Sanaullah

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday said that the federal government will conduct a forensic audit of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Tehrek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s leaked audios.

    Sanaullah — during a press conference in Islamabad — said that if Khan’s audio is real, then he should be exposed before the nation. “Khan has created a narrative of an American conspiracy to mislead the nation and divide it,” he said.

    Criticising the PTI chief, the interior minister said that Khan has caused “Irreparable damage to Pakistan and destroyed the country’s economy and political culture.”

    “I will show students Imran Khan’s awful face,” said Sanaullah with reference to Khan’s recent appearance at a university, adding that this “political fitna” (political miscreant) has to end in a political way.

    Sanaullah also said that Khan’s political narrative will be exposed.

  • ‘Imran Khan ki videos dekhaanay ya dekhnay ke qabil nahi hain’: Rana Sanaullah claims to have seen videos of Khan

    ‘Imran Khan ki videos dekhaanay ya dekhnay ke qabil nahi hain’: Rana Sanaullah claims to have seen videos of Khan

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday claimed to have seen secret videos of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, which he claimed were “neither worthy of being seen nor being shown”.

    “[Imran Khan] ki videos dekhanay ya dekhnay ke qabil nahi hain,” said Sanaullah. Translation: Imran Khan’s videos are neither worthy of being seen nor being shown.

    Sanaullah while speaking on Geo News programme, ‘Capital Talk’ said, “The alleged audio does not damage PM Shehbaz’s reputation because there is nothing wrong in it,” adding that recording something in today’s day and age was no big deal.

    Talking about Khan’s video, Sanaullah also said that he does not have access to the videos.

    Earlier today, in a new leaked audio, the former prime minister can be heard talking about the alleged foreign conspiracy against him with his then principal secretary Azam Khan.

    Khan discusses how to frame the narrative around the alleged conspiracy that resulted in the ouster of his government. He tells Azam Khan: ‘Iss par hi khelna hai’ (let’s play with this), without mentioning the name of the United States. They discuss how holding a meeting with the Foreign Secretary and then-Foreign Minister Shah Mahmud Qureshi in which allegedly Azam Khan can be heard discussing the minutes of the meeting.

  • ‘Abhi toh khela hi nahi mai’: Imran Khan responds to new leaked audio

    ‘Abhi toh khela hi nahi mai’: Imran Khan responds to new leaked audio

    Former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan broke silence on the leaked audio, saying he has not played on the cipher yet.

    Khan in the new leaked audio, can be heard talking about the alleged foreign conspiracy against him with his then principal secretary Azam Khan.

    He said that Shahbaz Sharif leaked that audio when asked who did this.

    “It is good that the audio got leaked, I would say the cypher should also be leaked. So that everyone should come to know how big was that foreign conspiracy.”

    “Abhi toh khela hi nahi mai,” said Khan. Translation: I have not played over it yet and will play when they expose it.

    Audio: ‘Is par hi khelna hai’: Imran warns not to reveal United States involvement

    Khan discusses how to frame the narrative around the alleged conspiracy that resulted in the ouster of his government. He tells Azam Khan: ‘Iss par hi khelna hai’, without mentioning the name of the United States and they discuss how to form a team on the issue.

    The “cipher” lies at the heart of PTI’s claim that the US plotted with individuals within Pakistan to remove Khan from office. It is based on then-envoy Asad Majeed’s meeting with State Department employee Donald Lu.

    Pakistan Tehreek-i- Insaf (PTI) is claiming that the audio has been leaked by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

    PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry has said that the audio leak is evidence of the attempt to hide the US letter from Imran Khan, in an acknowledgement that the audio is likely real.

  • ‘Ishaq Dar ki kaampein taangny lagi’: Imran Khan taunts the new senator

    ‘Ishaq Dar ki kaampein taangny lagi’: Imran Khan taunts the new senator

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan took a jibe at former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar who came back to Pakistan on Monday, took oath as Senator on Tuesday and is set to take over the ministry of finance on Wednesday.

    The PML-N leader has come back to Pakistan after living for five years in self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom (UK).

    While speaking at the Ulema and Mashaikh Convention in Peshawar, Khan said, “In 2017, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) asked Dar that how has he become a billionaire as his father was a hardworking man and used to sell bicycles.”

    “At the time, Ishaq Dar Ishaq Dar ki kaampein taangny lagi (Shivers are legs) and he flew out of the country on Prime Minister’s jet”, Khan said.

    During the address, Khan claimed that Dar is back so that corruption cases get resolved. He alleged that Dar had made a deal under National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) before returning to Pakistan.

    “It is unfortunate that the justice system could not stop Ishaq Dar,” he added. “A fugitive, after stealing billions of rupees, was roaming freely abroad and was taking decisions for Pakistan.”

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ishaq Dar on Tuesday, September 27, took oath as a senator.

    Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjarani administered the oath amid ruckus created by the opposition.

    Dar touched down in Pakistan with PM Shehbaz Sharif on the night of September 26. He will be sworn in as the federal finance minister tomorrow (September 28) at 10am.