PTI chief rejects cypher statement, terms Azam ‘honest man’

• PTI chairman terms Azam Khan an ‘honest man’.
• Azam Khan termed cypher narrative ‘baseless’.
• Said former PM suggested using cypher to shift public attention by highlighting ‘foreign involvement’.

PTI chairman while rejecting his ex-secretary Azam Khan’s statement on cypher, termed him an ‘honest man’.

The former prime minister stated that he would not accept Azam’s statement until he heard the bureaucrat say it himself.

Azam Khan claimed that the cypher narrative was concocted to divert attention from an impending no-confidence motion.

According to Azam Khan’s statement, when he presented the cypher to the PTI chairman, the PTI leader showed excitement and referred to the language used as a “US blunder.”

However, instead of keeping it confidential, the former PM allegedly saw an opportunity to exploit its contents for political gain.

As per Azam Khan’s revelations, the ex-prime minister suggested using the cypher to shift public attention by highlighting “foreign involvement” in the opposition’s no-confidence motion.

Added that the alleged plan was to depict the situation as a foreign conspiracy in collaboration with local partners, thereby playing the victim card.

The former PM earned massive public support while running a campaign that claimed a conspiracy was behind his ouster.

In his speech on March 27, last year, PTI chairman displayed a “threat letter,” a diplomatic code, which was used to depose his government a few days later through a vote of no confidence.