US does not take sides on political parties in Pakistan: State Dept

The United States, referring to recent revelations regarding the cypher, has said that it does not take sides on political parties in Pakistan or any other country.

During a press briefing, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller was asked to comment on the statement reportedly recorded by Azam Khan, then-principal secretary of Imran Khan, in which he said the former prime minister allegedly used the diplomatic cypher for his political interest.

‘‘I don’t know how many times I can respond to this question from the podium and give the same answer, which is that these allegations, such as they are, are completely unfounded,’’ Miller replied.

The spokesperson was also asked to comment on Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah’s statement that the government would initiate criminal proceedings against Imran on charges of exposing official secrets.

The US spokesperson replied, ‘‘I will say, as I have said before, that the US does not involve itself with domestic political questions, and we do not take sides on political parties in Pakistan or any other country.’’

Azam Khan records statement

On Wednesday, former prime minister Imran Khan’s then-principal secretary Azam Khan reportedly recorded a statement under Section 164 CrPC in which he maintained that Imran used a diplomatic cypher for his alleged political interest by creating a narrative against the establishment and the then opposition.

He said that on March 8, 2022, the foreign secretary approached Azam and informed him about the cypher sent to him at his residence on the same evening.

As per the statement, the foreign secretary informed Azam that former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had already discussed the cypher with the PTI chairman which Imran confirmed the next day when Azam presented the cypher to him.

According to Azam’s confession, when Imran learned of the cipher, he was “euphoric” and called it a “US blunder.”

Imran also allegedly told Azam that the cypher can be used to divert the general public’s attention towards foreign involvement in a no-confidence motion by the opposition, it says, adding that thereafter, Imran asked Azam to hand over the cypher to him, which he did.

The statement said that the cypher copy was retained by the PTI chief and the next day on March 10, 2022, when he asked for it, Imran replied that he has misplaced it.

Azam Khan claimed that Imran Khan said to him that he will display it in front of the public and “twist the narrative that a foreign conspiracy is being hatched in collusion with local partners and play the victim card.”

‘PTI chief should be brought to justice’

In a presser on Wednesday, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that Azam’s statements proves that the PTI chief was primarily responsible for the cipher conspiracy that adversely affected Pakistan’s diplomatic ties and economy.

Sanaullah said Imran deliberately used the cipher to build a narrative against the then-opposition.

“Taking a U-turn, now Imran claims that the cipher has been lost,” he said.

The interior minister, however, said that the original cipher is still with the PTI chief, and he should be prosecuted for keeping a secret document in private possession.

PTI rejects allegations

Meanwhile, PTI contended that the cypher exists and it is with the chief justice and is seen by the president and the army chief, saying the alleged confession by Azam is “full of contradictions”.

In a strongly-worded response to the alleged “confessional statement” by Azam , the ‘missing’ ex-principal secretary to the prime minister, PTI spokesman Rauf Hassan said the former top bureaucrat must have been forced to become an approver against Imran.

“The veracity of Azam Khan’s statement is yet to be confirmed, but no one can deny the fact that he’s been missing since June 17,” he added.

He said that a formal case was registered with ICT police after Azam went missing mysteriously from the federal capital about a month ago, and to date, the police failed to trace him down.

He said the irony was that his confessional statement came to the surface before his recovery, adding recording statement of 164 by a missing person in front of the magistrate was unimaginable in the eyes of legal experts.