Prime Minister Narendra Modi with former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif. (file photo)
Pakistan’s Minister of State for Information Farooq Habib has claimed that former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, with the help of his ‘friend’ Narendra Modi, supervised the hacking of his political rival Imran Khan’s phone. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Habib made a sensational claim that “Nawaz Sharif had obtained information (about Imran Khan) through Israeli spyware with the help of Narendra Modi”.
Habib told reporters in Faisalabad, “It is certain that Nawaz Sharif also obtained Imran Khan’s phone data with Modi’s help.”
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Referring to PM Modi’s sudden stop in Lahore on his way back from Kabul to Delhi in 2015 and Sharif attending Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in May 2014, Habib said, “These links indicate a strong relationship between them.”
Meanwhile, the Pegasus espionage controversy sparked a probe into alleged phone tapping of politicians, journalists and other prominent people with the Congress-led opposition in the first two days of the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament.
Congress spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil said the government should clearly state whether it has purchased Pegasus spyware or not and conduct a joint parliamentary inquiry.
Read also: ‘Aap kalkram samjiye’: Amit Shah on alleged phone tapping of opposition leaders, journalists
The government on Monday categorically rejected in the Lok Sabha allegations of spying on politicians, journalists and others using Pegasus software, saying illegal surveillance is not possible with checks and balances in the country’s laws, and Alleged that efforts were being made to malign Indian democracy.
More than 300 verified mobile phone numbers, including two ministers, more than 40 journalists, three opposition leaders and a sitting judge, could be targeted for hacking through spyware, an international media consortium said on Sunday.
(with inputs from agencies)
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