ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has summoned a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) to ascertain how informal conversations in the country’s highest office were leaked. The meeting to be held on Wednesday.
As per reports, the meeting will be attended by all the three services chiefs, federal ministers and committee members. The heads of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) will also be present.
The authorities would receive a briefing on security matters, including the Prime Minister’s House audio leaks, according to reports.
Meanwhile, a joint investigation team (JIT) has been constituted to probe the massive security lapse. Top intelligence agencies have already completed an initial inquiry, the report would be presented before the premier in the NSC meeting by their high-ups.
The JIT reportedly will include representatives of secret agencies to investigate the audio recordings of alleged conversations between key government figures including the Prime Minister.
According to reports, the JIT will look into whether the data has been stolen or hacked. The investigating team will also look into the possibility of a mobile recording device or a bug in the Prime Minister’s House. They said that the team will have permission to involve the Prime Minister’s House employees in the probe. They added that the investigation will look into which officers were present in the Prime Minister’s House at the time of the recording.
The leaked audiotapes allegedly feature Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and PM’s other close aides including some members of his cabinet, wherein, they can be allegedly heard making plans to politically dent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
In one audio, Maryam Nawaz allegedly pressed for the termination of the health insurance program started by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) administration, which providing free medical care to millions of Pakistanis.
She allegedly advised Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister, to stop providing health cards by publicly stating that there was a funding shortfall.
In an earlier allegedly leaked audio chat, PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz is heard encouraging PM Shehbaz to raise fuel costs.
In an allegedly leaked audio recording, Maryam Nawaz, who had previously spoken out against fuel price hikes, is heard urging PM Shehbaz Sharif to do the same.
The PML-N leader is heard saying in the allegedly leaked audio that raising petrol prices is inevitable.
Separately, an alleged telephonic conversation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with PM House official had leaked on social media in which the latter could be heard talking with the prime minister regarding Maryam Nawaz’s alleged influence in government affairs.
Earlier, in another a leaked recording that supposedly featured Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif went viral on social media, containing discussion regarding PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s request for an Indian power plant to be imported for her son-in-law.
A voice, purported to be that of Prime Minister Sharif, can be heard in the longer than two-minute audio tape that PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry posted on Twitter on Saturday asking him to help Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law Raheel with the import of machinery for a power plant from India.
