A former aide to Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif was arrested over his connection with the premier’s audio leaks, released in September and October, a media report has said.
On their YouTube show Talk Shock, veteran journalists Azaz Syed and Umar Cheema have revealed that ADC to PM Shehbaz, identified as Major Arsalan, had recorded and leaked the audio clips. Afterward, he was taken into detention by Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) General Nadeem Anjum on the directives of former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.
According to Azaz, Major Arsalan had earlier served as an ADC to former Corps Commander Bahawalpur Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, and was allegedly transferring the Premier’s recorded conversations to Bahawalpur.
The major himself confessed to committing the crime, Azaz Syed said on the programme. He said that whenever there was an important meeting, Major Arsalan used to have a secret phone specifically for recording the conversation or calls.
Shehbaz Sharif had been told about the development.
It is pertinent to mention that since the ouster of former PM Imran Khan, several audio leaks came out to the public adding more drama to the country’s politics.
Earlier, Federal Minister for Interior, Rana Sanaullah claimed that the matter of the premier’s audio leaks is not related to an agency, but a few people, who had been identified. He added that these people belong to the staff of the PM House.
In one of the audio leaks, PM Shehbaz and an unidentified person talked about a power plant to be imported from India for PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s son-in-law. In the other audio leak, the unknown person is allegedly telling the premier that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is asking for their “shares” for the Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) as well.