Monday, 3 October, 2022 I 6 Rabi ul Awwal, 1444 I Rs 40.00 I Vol XIII No 95 I 48 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Cabinet thumbs up for aCtion against imran, aides over Cipher-audio leak
COAS meets UN Military Advisor, discusses regional security RAWALPINDI staff report
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa called on Military Advisor to Secretary General United Nation (UN) Birame Diop (Senegal) during an official visit to United States (US). During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, overall regional security situation including natural disaster caused by flood across the country came under discussion, said an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) news release received here. The Army Chief appreciated the role of the office of UN Military Advisor in promoting UN core values and their response during crises. The UN Military Advisor expressed his grief over the devastation caused by ongoing floods in Pakistan due to climate change and offered sincere condolence to the families of the victims. He assured full support to the flood victims. The UN dignitary acknowledged Pakistan’s contribution in UN peacekeeping Missions and extraordinary achievements in counter terrorism, the ISPR added. The Express Tribune on Saturday reported, quoting its sources that Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa is in the United States on a five-day trip in yet another sign of stepped up efforts by both the sides to improve their
fraught and difficult relations. It said that Gen Bajwa was accompanied by a high-powered delegation. The army chief is scheduled to hold a series of meetings with the US officials including a visit to the Pentagon and Langley, the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). His visit is being closely followed as some have linked it with the expected change of command in November in the army. There are speculations that his visit may mean that the government may extend his already extended tenure. But sources in Washington are playing down such speculations and insisted the visit has nothing to do with the Pakistani domestic situation. They say the visit was long overdue. The visit was postponed thrice because of different reasons. General Bajwa was to travel to Washington in early 2022 but because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine the trip was put on hold. The visit was rescheduled to take place in March-April but because of the change of government, the trip was called off once again. The two sides could not arrange a trip in August either. Finally, he has now travelled to the US at the invitation of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The visit reflects the renewed push by the two countries to reset their troubled relations.
ISLAMABAD
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staff report
HE cabinet has decided in principle to prosecute Imran Khan, leaders of his party — including Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Asad Umar — and his former principal secretary Azam Khan over a leaked conversation discussing a diplomatic cable from a United States official that is at the centre of former prime minister’s allegations that his ouster was orchestrated by Washington. The chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party was ousted through a contentious vote of no-confidence in April. He has since shaped his narrative around the cable, called cipher, based on a meeting between Asad Majeed Khan, then-ambassador of Pakistan to the US, and Donald Lu, an assistant secretary of state for south and central Asian affairs. Khan first mentioned the international scheme during a rally in Islamabad in March in which he took out a piece of paper from his pocket
and described it as a written threat from a foreign power, without mentioning the name. Later, it turned out, he was mentioning a diplomatic cable dispatched by the ambassador after his conversation with Lu. According to a report, the conversation took place at the ambassador’s farewell lunch on March 7 which was also attended by a notetaker from Pakistan along with other officials from both sides. On Saturday, during a press conference of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ministers, Maryam Nawaz, the party’s vice president, asked the government to take legal action against Khan over the leaked conversations apparently between Khan and his ministers discussing the confidential cable. According to a Cabinet Division memo dated October 1, a meeting of the body on Friday constituted a subcommittee “to deliberate and recommend actions regarding the conversation of the former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his political associates and the then secretary to the PM, avail-
able on the internet regarding the cypher message received from Washington (Cypher No. 1-0678 dated March 7, 2022)”. “Therefore, the apex investigation agency (FIA) may be directed to inquire into the matter by constituting a team of senior officers, which may co-opt officers/officials from other intelligence agencies for the purpose, and to proceed further against the perpetrators in accordance with the law,” it said. The cabinet also sought the implementation report on its suggestions “immediately”. According to the memo, the probe committee will consist of the representatives of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) parties in the government “along with ministers”. During the Friday meeting, the cabinet was told that the conversations purportedly featuring Khan and his ministers exposed “the criminal conspiracy of the former government” as it gave the cable “fictitious meanings for political mileage and subsequently it was stolen after fraud, forgery, fabrication.”
Example should be made of Imran for ‘treason’ against nation, state: Marriyum ISLAMABAD staff report
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said Imran Khan was a “foreign-funded conspiracy” and his prime objective was to weaken the country which was a nuclear power. “Imran Khan, who is an “imported conspiracy” against the country, has played with the national interests,” she said while terming the Pakistan Tehreeki-Insaf (PTI) chief a “criminal” who, she added, committed treason against the nation and state. The minister, in a news statement, said an example should be made of him [Imran Khan] as he bent on creating chaos and anarchy in the country through his consistent lies under a conspiracy. She said Imran Khan knew that he had been exposed as his drama of foreign conspiracy and imported govern-
ment was fizzled out after surfacing of his purportedly leaked audios. Marriyum said the people would get “Haqeeqi Azadi” (real freedom) when they got rid of “foreign agent” and “traitor” Imran Khan. It was him [Imran Khan] who was both an “animal” and a “foreign agent”. She said “foreign agent” Imran Khan had not only compromised on the national interest and the Kashmir cause, but also transgressed the Constitution. MISOGYNIST HAS NO RESPECT FOR WOMEN: Earlier, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the followers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan have become deaf, dumb and blind and they will not return to the right path. This she said in a tweet, quoting the 18th Ayat of Sura Baqarah in the Holy Quran with regards to the attitude of PTI leaders, workers and followers.
She said Maryam Nawaz was right about Imran Khan. The minister said that it was unfortunate that on one had to even mention this sorry excuse for a human being who continued to stoop to new lows of misogyny. She said Imran Khan had proven, time and again, that he was a misogynist who has no respect for women and that he considered them to be nothing more than objects to be abused and harassed. Marriyum Aurangzeb said Imran has encouraged and inculcated this behavior and mindset both in his party members and his followers. She maintained that it was especially disappointing and sad to see female party members and followers of PTI not only condoning such behavior but partaking in it and celebrating it too. “This is extremely shameful and is a true reflection of how small a man IK (Imran Khan) really is”, she said.