In response to reports of audio leaks, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called a meeting of the National Security Committee on Monday.
The meeting will reportedly be called by the prime minister on Wednesday. All three military services’ top brass, federal ministries, and committee members will be present at the meeting.
According to further sources, the authorities would be updated at the meeting on security matters, including the audio leaks from the Prime Minister’s House.
A number of leaked audio recordings of conversations between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his advisers and other officials regarding various government and party topics have previously been made public. The event has prompted concerns about the Prime Minister’s Office’s security (PMO). But the administration hasn’t yet offered any commentary on the situation.
A voice claiming to be that of PM Shehbaz was heard in the more than two-minute-long audio tape indicating that Maryam Nawaz had requested him to help her son-in-law with the purchase of machinery from India. The official is heard in the audio tape saying, “If we do so, we will face a lot of criticism when this topic goes to the ECC and cabinet.”
The claimed voice of the prime minister is heard at this point stating, “Maryam Nawaz loves her son-in-law very much. I’ll talk to her once you explain this to her in a very rational way. The same voice concurs with the idea that this would be unfavourable politically and would be awful for optics.
The former justice Maqbool Baqir is mentioned at the end of the audio clip as a candidate to lead the National Accountability Bureau in the future. In light of their experiences with the previous NAB chairman, Javed Iqbal, who was also a retired judge appointed by the PML-N government, the official is heard conveying to the premier the’suggestion’ of two media persons, requesting that he not consider the former judge for the position of NAB chairman.
