LAHORE – A leaked audio conversation allegedly between former prime minister Imran Khan stirred a new storm in Pakistan on Tuesday, drawing mixed reactions from the civil society and politicians alike.
The two-part audio clip, which is the latest in a series of leaked conversations of the former premier since he blamed the incumbent coalition government and the military establishment for voting him out of power earlier this year on American behest, allegedly features the PTI chairman and an unidentified woman.
A voice said to be of former premier can be heard engaging in an intimate conversation over a phone call, while the other voice in the call is of a woman who refuses to meet the man in the audio on the same day citing painful intercourse.
Despite being shared online, the mainstream media of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has not reported it.
On the other hand, journalists Mansoor Ali Khan link and Syed Ali Haider link shared their vlogs about the clip. Mansoor also claimed that he knows about the woman (who is being heard in the leaked audio) while refraining to name her.
While the latest leak has raised some eyebrows, it also violates stern regulations by the country’s watchdog that prohibits such content to be shared online.
Soon after the critics of the PTI chief shared the clip, questioning his characters, Khan supporters questioned the authenticity of the leaked audio and called it ‘dirty tricks’ of the ruling alliance to malign the character of the ousted premier.
Former focal person to PM on digital media and PTI member Dr Arslan Khalid termed the audio as 'fake’, slamming the opposition to think beyond fake audios and videos.
Other PTI leaders also denounced the character assassination of the party chief and lashed out at rivals for stooping to a new low.