PTI chief should be punished for possessing secret documents: Interior Minister

• Rana Sanaullah said Azam Khan held PTI chief responsible for cypher conspiracy.
• The Minister said PTI chief inflicted setious damage to secure vested political interests.
• He said the PTI chief should be held responsible for possessing secret documents.

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan harmed diplomatic relations, undermined the economy and spread hatred in society.

Addressing a press conference, the minister said the ex-principal secretary to former prime minister Azam Khan has held the PTI chief responsible for hatching the cypher conspiracy.

“Azam Khan’s statement revealed that Imran Khan Niazi is the real Mir Jaffer, who orchestrated the drama against the country’s interests by harming its foreign relations and inflicting serious damage on its economy just to secure his vested political objectives,” he said.

He said Azam Khan claimed that Imran Khan was told to refrain from misusing a secret document and making it public, which is a clear violation of the Official Secret Act.

Rana Sanaullah said Imran Khan deliberately used the cypher to build a narrative against the opposition and then claimed the document was lost.

The interior minister said that the original cypher is still with the PTI chief and he should be prosecuted for keeping a secret document in private possession. He added that a former US President is also facing prosecution on similar grounds.

He said Imran Khan should be brought to justice for violating the Official Secret Act and possessing a secret document. He said former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also worked hand in glove with the PTI chief in the cypher conspiracy.

The interior minister further said that the confessional statement of Azam Khan discloses that Imran Khan can sacrifice national interests in pursuance of his personal agenda.

He said similarly, there should be no doubt that the PTI chief was behind the violent and hateful incidents on May 9. He said defence institutions of the country were attacked, state buildings torched, memorials of martyrs were desecrated, and a planned attempt was made to spread anarchy in Pakistan.

He said the culprits involved in carrying out anti-state activities should be brought to book and given an exemplary punishment as per law.

Responding to a question, Rana Sanaullah said it is a matter of state interests and a case against Imran Khan should be lodged on behalf of the state.