After audio leaks from the Pakistani Prime Minister's Office sparked a controversy, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the matter has now been resolved and added that some staff members of the PM's House have been identified in connection with the case, media reports said.
A series of audio clips have been leaked, featuring Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz and former PM Imran Khan, which sparked widespread criticism from the opposition and raised questions about the cyber security of the PM's official residence and the office.
Refuting involvement of any foreign spy agency, Sanaullah said "some staff members of the PM's House have been identified... such things are done for money."
He made these comments while speaking on air during a TV show. This comes hours after former prime minister Imran Khan made an announcement that he would approach the judiciary in connection to the audio leak controversy.
Revealing further details, the minister said that a tiny recording device was regularly planted on the premises to record telephonic conversations and informal chats at the PM's Office, reported Dawn.
He added that there was no issue in sharing the investigation findings with the court and public however a final decision in this regard will depend on PM Shehbaz Sharif, the federal cabinet, and the National Security Committee (NSC), Dawn added.
Earlier, media reports claimed that two suspects had been taken into custody over their involvement in the leaked clips. However, there was no official confirmation from the government in this regard.
Pakistan's former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chief Imran Khan on Friday claimed that the ruling party Pakistan Muslim League (N) was behind the "new game of fake audios," hours after another audio of the PTI Chairman was leaked.
Two audio recordings featuring PTI Chief Imran Khan surfaced in one of them he was heard talking about 'buying' MNAs and in the second one, the former PM was using a "US cypher" to brand those who would vote against him in April's confidence vote as traitors, Dawn reported.
While addressing the public rally, Imran Khan claimed that PML-N was behind all these audio leak games. Whereas other party leaders said the leaked audios were a work of "cut and paste" in which bits of different conversations could be joined together, reported Dawn.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that these leaks reveal Khan's "hypocrisy" and his "anti-state actions" made him unfit for the high office. In Friday's audio leak, Imran Khan was heard talking about his strategy to win the support of five MNAs through horse-trading.
"You have a misunderstanding that now the number game is complete [...] don't think this is over. You see, 48 hours is a long, long time. Big things are happening. I am making my own moves that we can't make public," Khan purportedly says and adds that he "is buying five".
"I have given the message that those five are very important. And tell them that if they secure these five [...] and if he secures 10, then the game will be in our hands. The nation at this moment is alarmed. Across the board, people want us to win somehow," he added.
"Hence, don't worry about whether this is right or wrong [...] even if they get one, it will create a huge difference," the voice adds as quoted by Dawn.
In the second audio, PTI leaders featuring Shireen Mazari, Asad Umar and Khan said the cypher, which he has used to further a foreign conspiracy narrative behind his ouster, had a global impact and urged his close aides to brand those who would vote against him in the confidence vote as Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq, according to Dawn.
( With inputs from ANI )
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