ISLAMABAD: Vice Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Shah Mahmood Qureshi has rejected as “totally fake news— planted story and nonsense,” an audiotape allegedly involving Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) supremo Asif Ali Zardari and real estate tycoon Malik Riaz, and also announced to move Supreme Court against the highly controversial Elections (Amendment) Bill 2022 and National Accountability (Second Amendment) Bill 2022 recently passed by the Parliament.

“This is fake news—totally fake. These are all planted stories. This is nonsense and bogus stuff,” he said, addressing a press conference in the federal capital on Sunday.

The television channel, he said, that released this audio, should prove that the audiotape is authentic, he said.

“The onus of responsibility is not on us. The onus is on that very channel—and we all know who that channel belongs to— to prove that this tape is genuine,” he said.

Qureshi slammed what he said was another fake news doing rounds on social media suggesting that he (Qureshi) was snubbed by Chairman PTI Imran Khan. “There is not even a shred of truth in this so-called news,” Qureshi said.

PM Shehbaz says leaked audio clip exposes Imran's 'hypocrisy, double standards'

“Unfortunately, fake news has become a fashion worldwide—it has become a trend across the globe,” the former foreign minister added.

He alleged that National Accountability (Second Amendment) Bill 2022 was passed by the Parliament to directly benefit former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

“The suspects in mega corruption cases, who are bound to provide their money trails—would be no longer bound to do so after the passage of this unacceptable law,” Qureshi said, adding that the bill aimed at providing protection to the ruling elite in mega corruption cases.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022