A leaked audio clip of a telephonic conversation between business tycoon Malik Riaz and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has surfaced, in which Riaz can be purportedly conveying Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairperson Imran Khan’s message seeking a ‘patch-up’ with Zardari. The former president refused Imran Khan’s request while responding to Riaz.
The conversation is apparently from the time when vote of no-confidence against former prime minister Imran Khan was brought by the then opposition.
Senior journalist Hamid Mir tweeted that the said conversation is from two days before the no-confidence vote.
Two days before no confidence https://t.co/gLHUHPvoYh
— Hamid Mir (@HamidMirPAK) May 28, 2022
Upon being told by Malik Riaz that Imran Khan has been sending him several messages requesting him for a patch-up [with Zardari and/or the then opposition], Asif Zardari could be heard saying, “It is impossible now.”
Imran Khan had been bitterly criticising the PPP co-chairperson during his public speeches. Geo reported that members of the coalition government were wondering if this was an attempt to create rifts within Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), or a desperate cry for help.
A master stroke by Zardari was Bilawal praising Imran during his US trip. Now PPP weds PTI and this is how cookie crumbles.