President Arif Alvi Was 'Not Convinced' About Foreign Conspiracy Against Imran

President Arif Alvi has said that he was 'not convinced' that a foreign conspiracy had been hatched by the United States to oust then-prime minister Imran Khan's government, but that he knew he had to investigate the matter regardless.

The president, who is also a member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), made the surprising remarks during an interview with journalist Asma Shirazi on Monday.

During the interview he said about the controversial cipher, "I sent that letter to the chief justice. I am convinced that there must be a probe on it. I am not convinced on the fact that a conspiracy was hatched. But I have my doubts and there must be a probe," adding that he had cautioned PTI chairman Imran Khan that he would not be able to find a smoking gun as he had desired.

He also appeared to disagree with Imran Khan's decision to leave the National Assembly, saying that if the former prime minister had chosen to consult Alvi, he "might have offered different advice". He said that now in his role as president, he was impartial and that his affiliation with the PTI was 'a thing of the past'. "The party is my past. It is a very good past."