Cabinet committee formed to probe cypher ‘stolen’ from PM House

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ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Friday announced the formation of a committee to investigate the diplomatic cypher that it was told had been “stolen” from the records of the Prime Minister’s House, a statement issued by the premier’s office said.

Former premier and PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who was voted out through a no-confidence motion, had brandished a “threat letter”, which was the cypher, on March 27 at a public gathering before his ouster, claiming that his government had been threatened by the US and the Opposition was involved in the conspiracy.

The statement from the PM office, issued after the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, said that the body was provided with a briefing on the issue of diplomatic cypher where it was revealed that the copy of the relevant document was missing from the Prime Minister House’s records.

“The meeting was told that although there is a record of the receipt of the cypher sent to the former premier at the Prime Minister’s House, its copy is not available in the record,” said the statement. As per the law, the cable is a property of the Prime Minister’s House, it added.

The statement said that the meeting termed the “theft” of the letter a serious matter and, following a detailed consultation, the cabinet formed a special committee to launch an investigation.

The committee will recommend what legal action the government should take against Khan, the then principal secretary to prime minister Azam Khan, and former ministers. The committee will include foreign, interior, laws ministers and representatives of all the coalition partners of the government.