ISLAMABAD: In wake of the audio leaks scandal, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has summoned the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting on Wednesday to discuss matters related to national security.
The leaks which emerged on the internet late Saturday night featured conversations of PM Shehbaz with his key cabinet members and family triggered a new debate. Though the NSC meeting is yet to be notified, reports suggested that the notification is likely to be issued today.
Soon after the audios surfaced, there was a storm on social media, many bashing the government and expressing shock at the way sensitive audios had purportedly leaked from the PMO. Several TV channels also flashed the leaks news.
The audios drew sharp criticism from the opposition, which expressed concerns over the security breach of the Prime Minister Office (PMO). However, several government ministers tried to defend their conduct in the conversations, insisting that the audios pointed to no wrongdoing.
According to an official privy to the development, the NSC meeting will take place at the PM House on Wednesday and would be attended by top military and civilian leadership with Prime Minister in the chair. Besides the military leadership, the meeting would be attended by defence minister, interior minister, information minister, finance minister and other important cabinet members.
The huddle will discuss flood situation, national security and other matters. According to the sources, the NSC meeting is expected to make important decisions in view of the audio leaks. The participants will also be briefed on the law and order situation of the country in the meeting.
By Sunday night, the government didn’t order any inquiry into the leaks, however, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told media that Prime Minister Shehbaz would look into it and might order an inquiry on his return from London.
“The decision to hold an inquiry into the audio leaks will be taken by Prime Minister Shehbaz once he returns to Pakistan,” the government’s spokesperson said via phone from London, without denying the authenticity of the leaked audios.
Reiterating that no inquiry had thus far been ordered by the prime minister, Aurangzeb said that the audio leaks were a proof of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) policy of promoting merit, a claim which is strongly contested.
“Nowhere in those audio was anyone talking about diamonds and gifts,” the information minister quipped. Another cabinet member, while speaking on condition of anonymity, also said that there was nothing controversial in the audio from the ruling party’s perspective.
For a long time, successive governments have been embroiled in audio and video leak scandals but there has never been a comprehensive inquiry into any such incident. On every occasion, the truth lay somewhere between the allegations and denials.
In the latest audio leaks, a voice, purported to be of Prime Minister Shehbaz, informed “a government official” about Maryam Nawaz looking to import machinery from India for a power plant, on the request of her son-in-law Raheel Munir.
A media report about the audio stated that “the official” was apprised that half of the machinery had already arrived.
It added that the purported officer could be heard saying that this was a matter of “grave concern” as being a relative of the prime minister, the issue could “wreak havoc if it comes to the knowledge of the ECC (Economic Coordination Committee) and then of the cabinet”.
The voice thought to be of Shehbaz responded by saying that he would talk to Maryam himself after his return from Turkey, to which the purported official suggested leaving the matter to former finance minister Ishaq Dar.
