Islamabad: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Farooq Sattar said on Friday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has gone morally bankrupt following the release of an audio tape in which he appreciated an attack on state-run television.
While talking exclusively with a private news channel Sattar said that he was sorry to hear the telephonic conversation between Khan and a senior leader of PTI, Dr Arif Alvi.
“Imran Khan had believed he would become prime minister after Nawaz Sharif’s resignation”, he said adding MQM had not assured PTI of extending support and taking part in the sit-in.
An audio tape of a telephonic conversation between PTI chairman and Arif Alvi surfaced earlier Friday in which Khan purportedly appreciated the attack on state-run television in September last year.
“Acha hai, Acha hai (That’s good) ….this will put pressure on Nawaz Sharif to resign,” Khan responded in the audio when he was told by Alvi that PTV premises was attacked and its transmission has gone off-air.
“You have to put maximum pressure today….,” Khan instructed Alvi.
Senior leader of PTI, Assad Umar, says there is nothing ‘wrong’ and ‘earth-shattering’ in telephonic conversation between Imran Khan and Alvi.
While speaking to a private news channel, Umar said that Imran Khan had never favoured an attack on PTV but instead directed his workers to evacuate PTV building premises, adding that those involved in the attack should be brought to justice.
“Security agencies often do such recordings and I think this is also their handiwork,” Umar told the channel, adding that telephone tapping is violation of law and constitution.
Alvi, meanwhile, termed the conversation as “tampered”.
He also expressed his doubts that the conversation was edited or forged and was presented out of context.
“Even to splice a conversation, ‘to mix & match & patch’ somebody is recording phone calls without legal authority,” Alvi said through his Twitter account.
“I resigned from an NA committee when a huge file of telephone conversations was presented. For suspects too there must be a judicial sanction… Am a stickler for privacy of conversations. I resigned on principle…,” he said in his message.
The PTI leader said all political parties, including MQM were contacted to join the anti-government protest that lasted for three months in Islamabad to press Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resign.
“We openly requested all parties including MQM at time of dharna (protest) to join us. See talk shows and newspapers to confirm,” he said.
He said that audio tape of his telephonic conservation with party chairman Imran Khan was recorded illegally.
