— Vows to follow Constitution for appointment of new army chief
— Says his govt took Pakistan out of international isolation
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced constitution of a high-powered committee to investigate audio leaks allegedly featuring the conversation of the premier with the high-profile government officials and ruling party leader Maryam Nawaz.
“This is a very important matter and this serious security lapse and breach are a big question mark then who will be willing to come to meet the prime minister [amid fears of bugging],” he said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Tuesday.
“Anyone will think 100 times before discussing any sensitive matter at the PM House.”
“I have taken notice and am forming a high-powered committee to investigate the matter,” he added
Responding to a question related to one of the leaked audio clips, PM Shehbaz said Maryam Nawaz – who is also his niece – did not ask for any favour from him regarding the import of her son-in-law’s power plant machinery from India.
“Dr Tauqeer told me that his [Maryam’s son-in-law Raheel] half machinery was already imported during PTI’s tenure and the other half is remaining,” he said.
“If the [import] of half of the machinery is remaining then it’s a loss. However, we did not consider it appropriate to take up this matter in the federal cabinet since the matter involves India. “There was nothing illegal in this.”
Referring to the alleged audio fiasco involving PTI Chairman Imran Khan, the premier said unlike his predecessor, he did not discuss anything about “diamonds and jewellery”.
He also asked the media to highlight the content of audio leaks which exposed the corruption of “Imran and his cronies”.
The announcement came a day after PM Shehbaz summoned the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting on September 28 to discuss audio leaks.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had told a private news channel that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) had completed an initial inquiry and a report regarding the audio leaks would be presented before the NSC on Wednesday.
The audios drew sharp criticism from the opposition, which expressed concerns over the security of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). However, several government ministers insisted that the audios pointed to no wrongdoing.
Soon after the audios surfaced, there was a storm on social media, many bashing the government and expressing shock at the way sensitive audios had purportedly leaked from the PMO.
Army chief’s appointment
Commenting on the controversy surrounding the next army chief’s appointment, Premier Shehbaz said he will follow the procedure laid in the Constitution and law for the appointment of the new military head.
Responding to a question on appointing the army chief with consensus, he said: “Did he [Imran Khan] consult us when he extended the tenure of the army chief? We will follow the Constitution and law.”
On criticism about discussing “sensitive matters” with ruling party supremo Nawaz Sharif in London, PM Shehbaz said he discussed matters related to the economy and others with his Quaid and added that there was nothing wrong with this.
His statement came in response to deposed prime minister Imran Khan’s suggestion to defer the appointment of the new army chief until after the next elections, maintaining that the incumbent government lacked the legitimacy to make the important appointment.
Describing his meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) moot in Samarkand, Uzbekistan and 77th session of the UN General Assembly as “encouraging”, PM said Pakistan had come out of international isolation due to the efforts of present coalition government.
“By straining relations with various countries, the previous government had put Pakistan in isolation,” the prime minister said.
He said the way former prime minister Imran Khan used to talk about various countries was not appropriate for a country desiring to have good relations.
The prime minister, who arrived in Pakistan last night after his official visits to the United Kingdom and the United States, said during his recent visit to Uzbekistan to attend the SCO moot, the flood situation in Pakistan vis a vis climate change was highlighted.
He said Pakistan despite having less than one percent share in the global carbon emission was facing the severe negative effects, which was also evident from the recent devastating floods in the country.
Shehbaz Sharif said during the SCO moot as well as his meetings with various leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi etc., he highlighted the losses caused by floods in Pakistan and the leaders, besides expressing their solidarity, also assured their cooperation to mitigate the sufferings of flood-hit people.
The prime minister said similarly during his address at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly as well as the sideline meetings, he highlighted that with overall economic loss of over US $ 30 billion, the recent devastating floods had caused 1,500 deaths, destroyed millions of houses and destructed infrastructure.
Shehbaz Sharif said during his address to the UN General Assembly, he forcefully presented Pakistan’s view-point and stance on the issues of Kashmir, Palestine and Islamophobia.
He said the plight of Kashmiris in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), atrocities in the IIOJK, August 5, 2019 illegal action of India in the IIOJK, and the treatment meted out to Muslims in India were also highlighted in the address.
The prime minister said during his visit to the United States to attend the UN General Assembly he was effectively assisted by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, and others.
About his visit to UK, the prime minister said besides representing Pakistan at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, he also attended the reception hosted by King Charles, who expressed sincere sympathies for the flood-hit people of Pakistan and talked fondly about the friendly ties.
Shehbaz Sharif said he also thanked the United Kingdom for the 15 million pounds flood relief assistance.
