Tag: threat letter

  • ‘It is over, I want good relations especially with the US’: Khan on his removal

    ‘It is over, I want good relations especially with the US’: Khan on his removal

    Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, has said that he no longer “blames the United States (US)” for engineering the Vote of No Confidence that resulted in his government’s ouster, and wants “dignified” ties with the country if he comes back to power.

    Referring to the alleged conspiracy which the former Prime Minister has insisted upon since April of this year, Khan said that “it was over”, in an interview with the Financial Times.

    “As far as I’m concerned, it’s over; it’s behind me. The Pakistan I want to lead must have good relationships with everyone, especially the United States,” he said.

    “Our relationship with the US has been as of a master-servant relationship, or a master-slave relationship, and we’ve been used like a hired gun. But for that I blame my own governments more than the US,” the former premier added.

    The former prime minister also termed his visit to Moscow on the eve of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia as “embarrassing”. He, however, added that trip was organised months in advance.

    About the role of the military, he said the army could play a “constructive role” in his future plans for Pakistan.

    The former premier asserted that there should “be a balance” in civil-military ties as “you cannot have an elected government which has responsibility given by the people, while the authority lies somewhere else”.

  • ‘Our intelligence agencies are making people feel threatened’: Khan

    ‘Our intelligence agencies are making people feel threatened’: Khan

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that intelligence agencies should reconsider what they are engaging in.

    “Our intelligence agencies should think about what they are engaging in. They are making people feel threatened,” he said. Addressing the agencies during an interview on Channel 92, the former Prime Minister said that “political engineering” was not in their job description and that they were tasked to keep the country safe.

    Khan claimed that state secrets have been leaked to the country’s enemies, citing an alleged breach of the secure line at Prime Minister’s Office.

    “Secrets of the state have been leaked to our enemies. There has been a violation of the security line of the Prime Minister’s Office. The security agencies must be questioned about who is responsible for this,” he said during an interview with a private television channel.

    ‘They [government] should first ask the Foreign Office about the cipher’s master copy’: Khan

    Khan said that the master copy of the infamous cipher is lying in the Foreign Office.

    “They [government] should first ask the Foreign Office about the cipher’s master copy,” the former premier stated, adding that the master copy first arrives at the FO and its copies are then sent to the Prime Minister’s house, president, and the chief of army staff.

    “What cipher are they talking about which has been stolen?” Khan questioned the government, stressing that they “initially lied” that there was no cipher.

    He added that President Arif Alvi sent the cipher’s copy to Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and that his party had sent one copy to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Asad Qaiser.

    ‘No one will be able to guess what will happen, what we’ll do’: Khan

    “We have planned more events after this. No one will be able to guess what will happen, what we’ll do. [I’ve] just shared the details with four to five closest people,” he said.

    “Our discussions get leaked, our phones get taped. It seems like I’m a traitor,” the former premier said, claiming that his servants are being paid to leak information.

  • ‘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.

  • Exclusive: PM Shehbaz says next army chief will be appointed as per rules, regulations

    Exclusive: PM Shehbaz says next army chief will be appointed as per rules, regulations

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called the PM House a ‘Jamhoori House’ (Democratic House) and said that his government believed in media freedom. In an interaction with journalists at the PM House on April 26, Sharif said that the previous government was not just incompetent and corrupt but had damaged the country’s economy and foreign relations. PM Shehbaz talked about several issues.

    New army chief

    PM said that he has the constitutional right to appoint a new army chief. He added that he will appoint the new army chief as per the constitution and rules and regulations when the time comes for his appointment. This was in response to a question about the appointment of a new army chief since General Bajwa will not take an extension as per DG ISPR.

    Pak-US relations

    While answering a question about Pakistan’s relationship with the US, PM said that the US is a superpower so we need to maintain good relations with them. “Amreeka dushmani hamaaray waaray nahin” (we cannot afford enmity with the US). He added that we need to do some stock-taking regarding Pak-US ties and improve relations with the US.

    Foreign Policy

    Talking about foreign relations, PM Shehbaz said that the previous government had alienated allies and friends. “How can we say that we can raise the Kashmir issue without Saudi Arabia?”

    PM said that the members of the previous government had lied about loans on 8% by China apart from allegations of corruption against Chinese investment by Pervez Khattak and several others in PTI. “China helped us get rid of load shedding by investing in power plants.”

    Saudi Visit

    PM will be visiting Saudi Arabia tomorrow (April 28-30) on the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. PM Shehbaz said that he is likely to meet the Saudi leadership during his visit.

    Load shedding

    He said that there there is no other reason for frequent load shedding other than the negligence of previous government for not buying LNG and furnace oil on time. He also criticised the previous government for its baseless allegations against the LNG contract signed by the previous PML-N government. He said that Qatar must have been amazed that instead of thanking them for such a good deal, PTI indulged in “ilzaam taraashi” [allegations].

    Economic crisis

    “Pakistan is going through one of the most difficult times. We are trying to take the country in the right direction. We have seen how Japan and Germany rebuilt their economies after tough times. We have the examples of South Korea and Bangladeshi economies too. Once upon a time, Pakistan had a better per capita income than China but look at us now. Our currency was better than India’s. When India was ahead of us in the steel industry, we were ahead of them in textiles.”

    “There is no point crying over spilt milk but now it is time to rebuild our economy,” said PM Shehbaz. He said that it will be a difficult challenge but is not impossible to bring back our lost place in the comity of nations by strengthening our economy. “Rome was not built in a day.”

    “If we were economically strong, our foreign policy would have been stronger.”

    PECA

    The PM was asked if roll back of PECA was on the cards, to which he said that his government believes in freedom of media and media will not have to face any curbs but they need to differentiate between truth and fake news. “Media should highlight our mistakes. We welcome that. But it should not spread fake news.”

    Missing files

    When asked that there are reports that some files have been taken by the previous government from the PM House regarding sugar scandal and other scandals, Shehbaz said that if he is given evidence about the missing files, he will find them.

    Accountability

    He said that in the name of accountability, there will be no revenge. “Ehtesaab ke naam par intiqaam nahin leinge,” said PM Shehbaz. He said that businessmen say they will not invest here because the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will either arrest them or harass them. “Businessmen kehte hain ya NAB giraftaar kar leinge ya zaleel kareinge unko.”

    Elections

    The PM said that we will go for elections after carrying out necessary reforms, especially electoral reforms.

    Threat letter

    PM Shehbaz said that the National Security Committee meeting issued a clear statement that there was no conspiracy. “The punchline of the statement was that there is no saazish, no conspiracy.”

    Shehbaz said that if the threat letter was received on March 7, why did the PTI government talk about it on March 28? “March tak moonh mein taalay kyun laga kar baithay thay?” He asked when did the previous government turn this letter into a conspiracy. “When they knew they were going to lose in parliament. There is no question of a conspiracy whatsoever.”

    Karachi attack

    “The attack in Karachi University is a huge tragedy where three Chinese nationals died. China is our friend. I went to the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad for solidarity,” said PM. He added that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah will go to Karachi on Wednesday (today) and help and coordinate with the Sindh government. “After our Saudi visit, we will hold a comprehensive meeting on security.”

    Afghanistan

    Afghanistan is not just our neighbour but our “baraadar mulk” (brother country). “If there is peace in Afghanistan, there will be peace in Pakistan. What is good for Afghanistan is good for Pakistan.”

    PTI resignations

    PM said that they have found out that many resignations were taken by force from PTI MNAs and were not given voluntarily. “We will know the truth when the legal process has been completed.” He was asked whether the government could convince PTI to take back its resignations to be an effective Opposition.

    PTI long march

    While answering a question about Imran Khan’s call for march to Islamabad, PM said that if they won’t do anything unlawful, nothing will happen to them but he won’t allow anyone to spread anarchy on the roads.

    Pak Army

    The PM said that the Pak Army has given a lot of sacrifices for this country. “It is wrong to say anything negative about Pakistan’s army. It is condemnable,” said the PM when responding to a question about social media trends against the army.

  • Former envoy to US Asad Majeed to brief National Security Council on ‘letter-gate’

    Former envoy to US Asad Majeed to brief National Security Council on ‘letter-gate’

    Former Pakistani ambassador to the United States Dr Asad Majeed Khan will brief the National Security Committee (NSC) members during a meeting on Friday about the diplomatic cable he gave to the PTI government last month, according to sources.

    According to sources, the Pakistani diplomat has arrived in Islamabad and will join the National Security Council meeting convened by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the PM Office to review the situation in the aftermath of “letter-gate” and other regional issues.

    According to sources, the meeting will be held today at the Prime Minister’s Office at 2:00pm. The members of the meeting will discuss the security situation in the country.

    Top civil and military leadership including federal ministers, services chiefs will attend the meeting

  • Political use of ‘diplomatic cable’ to haunt Pakistan’s Foreign Office for many years: report

    Political use of ‘diplomatic cable’ to haunt Pakistan’s Foreign Office for many years: report

    The ‘diplomatic cable’ which has plunged Pakistan into a constitutional crisis, also attracted fair resentment from the Foreign Office (FO) against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for using the communique for gaining ‘political mileage’.

    Kamran Yousaf in his report for The Express Tribune writes, “Two Foreign Office officials, spoke to The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity due to sensitivity of the issue, revealed that the diplomats were not happy with the controversy.”

    One diplomatic on condition of anonymity told Yousaf that the repercussions of the way the government used “secret and classified communication” to achieve its “political objectives and its negative impact” would be felt in the FO for “many years” to come.

    “Diplomats are eyes and ears of Pakistan who give frank and honest feedback from the countries where they serve,” the official added.

    “Such honest and candid assessments are meant for policymakers to devise a strategy accordingly,” the official explained.

    “But if governments start using such secret communications for their political gains, then the diplomats would be reluctant to write honest assessments,” the official cautioned.

    “If the Foreign Office start making public diplomatic cables, people would be blown away,” the official said, insisting such candid discussions between diplomats are common.

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on April 3, named Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu as the United States (US) representative who had a meeting with Pakistan’s Ambassador in the US, which led to the “threatening diplomatic cable”.

    PM Khan on March 27 claimed that the Opposition’s no-trust move is part of an alleged “foreign-funded conspiracy” hatched against his government. It is pertinent to mention here that the Opposition tabled the no-confidence motion against PM Khan on March 8. The government claims to have received the threatening communique on March 7.

  • Exclusive: How did PM Khan act when telling journalists about the ‘threat letter’?

    Exclusive: How did PM Khan act when telling journalists about the ‘threat letter’?

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan called senior journalists to meet him on Wednesday and to inform them about the contents of the “foreign country threat letter.”

    During the meeting, the contents of the confidential letter were shared with the journalists present, which included Kashif Abbasi, Arshad Sharif, Muhammad Malick, Fareeha Idrees, Shahzad Iqbal, and Imran Riaz Khan among others.

    As per The Current’s sources, the PM’s body language was ‘positive’ during the meeting.

    The Current’s sources revealed that a journalist asked the PM: “How far away is the country where the letter originated from? An 18-hour flight away or 6-hour flight away?” The question was posed after the name of the concerned country was not revealed. However, it was stated that the letter was written by a Pakistani official based on the contents of the letter and it referred to a conversation with officials of the other country.

    Sources added that the “mood was very relaxed” but the PM was very serious about the threat.

    The letter was shown to journalists from afar, so much so that it was not readable from the naked eye. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Asad Umar was holding the letter.

    On March 27, PM Khan waved a letter during PTI’s power show in Islamabad and talked about a foreign conspiracy to oust his government.

  • What’s in the ‘threat letter’? PM Khan reveals content to journalists

    What’s in the ‘threat letter’? PM Khan reveals content to journalists

    Keeping his word, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan called senior journalists in Islamabad to meet him and revealed the contents of the ‘foreign country threat letter’. However, he didn’t mention which country the letter referred to and did not show the letter to anyone either.

     The premier announced that he would show the “threat letter” reportedly containing evidence of a “foreign conspiracy” against the government to senior journalists and one member each of the government’s allied parties.

    PM Khan told journalists that he would give a briefing to Parliament on the letter and admitted that the letter was written by Pakistan’s ambassador, not naming the country the ambassador was present in. He said that national security rules apply to the letter and he could not reveal any more details.

    The Prime Minister said that the letter has been shared with the military leadership and that he could not explain the language used in the letter.

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed Khan speaking in relevance to the letter has said that the letter is an attack on the sovereignty of Pakistan.

    “If he brings Imran Khan brings the letter forward, the Opposition will get destroyed,” Senator Javed stated.

    On March 27, PM Khan had waved a letter during PTI’s power show in Islamabad and talked about a foreign conspiracy to oust his government.

  • PM Khan to reveal ‘threat letter’ to senior journalists, allied parties

    PM Khan to reveal ‘threat letter’ to senior journalists, allied parties

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan announced that he would show the “threat letter” reportedly containing evidence of a “foreign conspiracy” against the government to senior journalists and one member each of the government’s allied parties. On March 27, PM Khan had waved a letter during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) power show in Islamabad and talked about a foreign conspiracy to oust his government.

    “The document that I have, I will show it to senior journalists today. We want to protect the nation and can’t divulge details in public. People think this is a joke and I have decided to share it with top journalists,” adding that he would call one member of each allied party and show them the document and “prove that it is real”.

    PM Khan’s comments came during a ceremony for the launch of the E-passport facility in Islamabad.

    “People can take whatever decision they want to. But beware of the fact that, directly or indirectly, you may become a part of a huge international conspiracy,” he said, adding that the document would provide proof of the same.

    “Foreign funding is being used to change the government. Money is coming from abroad and people inside the country are being used. Some of them are unaware they are being used and some are intentionally using this money against us,” said PM Khan.

    “But this is a foreign imported conspiracy. And it started when people from abroad started controlling Pakistan through telephone calls. They cannot tolerate a leadership that works in the people’s interest.”

    “We sacrificed our interests for those abroad but they never valued it,” he said.

    Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said yesterday that Khan was ready to share the “threat letter” with Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial. 

    Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Minister for Planning and Development Umar said he has seen the letter himself, adding that if someone had doubts, the “prime minister is ready … he thought we can share with the chief justice of the Supreme Court”.