Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Wednesday that the federal government has decided to conduct a forensic audit of former finance minister and PTI Senator Shaukat Tarin's purported audio leaks regarding the crucial International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, Aaj News reported.
Two audio tapes surfaced on social and mainstream media on Monday, in which a man said to be Tarin could be heard guiding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab’s finance ministers to inform the federal government and the IMF of their inability to commit to a provincial budget surplus in light of the recent floods that have wreaked havoc in Pakistan.
Last week, KP Finance Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra had written a letter to the Ministry of Finance conveying the same.
The audio leak led to fierce criticism of PTI leadership as the government alleged that the move was a conspiracy to derail the government’s deal with the global lender.
“Consultation with the interior and law ministries are underway […] we have decided on a forensic audit of the audio conversations and once the consultative process is complete, it will be acted upon and action taken as per the law,” Tarar said while addressing the issue in a press conference today.
The law minister said that legal action would be taken against those who “raised their hands against the state or spoke against its interests”.
Tarar termed the affair “very painful” and said it amount to “sedition” against the state and its interests.
“After that conversation, it seems the PTI’s KP finance minister (Jhagra) strayed from fulfilling his oath and the former finance minister (Tarin), whom this was not expected of, crossed all limits and prioritised politics over the state.”
On Tuesday, an application was filed with Islamabad police to register a treason case against PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Tarin, and incumbent finance ministers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mohsin Khan Leghari and Taimur Khan Jhagra.
The applicant was submitted by the founder and chairman of Aman Taraqi Party, Mohammad Faiq Shah at the Kohsar police station.
The complainant requested the police take legal action against all four suspects.