Islamabad: Former principal secretary to the prime minister, Azam Khan, has said that he did not testify on oath regarding 161 and 164, and he is not aware of which page was waved in the rally.
According to details, former principal secretary and PPP leader Azam Khan, brought as a witness by the FIA in the Saafir case, gave a shocking statement in court, which is considered a significant development.
Azam Khan stated that he did not testify on oath regarding 161 and 164, while the statement for 161 was recorded in front of the investigating officer without an oath, and the statement for 164 was recorded in front of the magistrate without an oath as well.
He said that the signatures on the statements for 161 and 164 are his own, and he does not know what page was waved in the rally. He also mentioned that the page was not read or opened by the PPP rally organizer.
In court, he stated, “I do not know what that paper was, when I provided Saafir’s copy to the PPP organizer, he became very excited, as that copy contained details of our ambassador’s meeting with the US government.”
He said, “The PPP organizer mentioned that the American officials used the Saafir message to expose the conspiracy against the elected government and opposition parties, gathered at the time of the change in government. He also suggested that Saafir could be used to object to the no-confidence movement.”
Azam Khan’s statement in court further discussed how the PPP organizer instructed the military secretary, ADC, and personal staff to find Saafir. The PPP organizer wished to win over the public by showing how their government was conspired against, and I informed the PPP organizer that Saafir is a secret code that cannot be revealed in specific terms.”
He mentioned that upon his suggestion, a meeting was held in Banigala under the leadership of the prime minister, attended by the foreign minister, the foreign secretary, and himself, where the master copy of Saafir was read. Azam Khan stated, “As far as I remember, the decision to present the Saafir case in front of the federal cabinet was made in the last week of March, after which, the cabinet decided to present the matter before the National Security Committee.”
He also said, “In the National Security Committee meeting, it was decided to send protest letters to the relevant country regarding interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs, and after receiving a copy of Saafir, I believe it should be returned within a year. Until I was the principal secretary, the copy of Saafir was not returned. The PPP organizer instructed the military secretary and other staff to search for the copy multiple times, and they were carrying out this task.”