Azam Khan, former principal secretary to prime minister and close aide of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, reportedly went missing in Islamabad, it emerged on Friday.

In an application registered with the Kohsar police station by his nephew, Azam went out of his house on Thursday evening but did not return, police sources said. His cellphone also remained switched off, read the application.

Police officials said that they were investigating the matter after which they would decide about lodging a case in this regard.

However, the Islamabad Capital Territory Police (ICT) urged the family of the ex-principal secretary to the former PM to approach the relevant police station so that legal action could be initiated in this regard. The police assured the family that they would make all possible efforts to recover the missing government officer.  

The ex-principal secretary made headlines last year when audio leaks purportedly featuring the former prime minister, his party leaders and him emerged.

In one of the audio leaks, the former premier allegedly tells his then-principal to “play” with the US cypher.

Khan allegedly told Azam in the audio — the date of which cannot be ascertained at the moment — that “let’s just play” with the cypher and not mention America’s name.

In response, Azam tells Khan a scheme of how to use the cypher to forward PTI’s political agenda — and in that, he also suggests using Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood so the matter can be highlighted at a “bureaucratic level”.

Another purported audio clip of the PTI chairman and his team surfaced, just days after a sound bite of the deposed prime minister allegedly telling his then-principal secretary to “play” with the US cypher had come to the fore.

The audio, purportedly featured Khan, Asad Umar, Azam and Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Following is a rough transcription of the audio:

Imran Khan: Shah jee [Shah Mahmood Qureshi], we three [Imran Khan, Azam Khan and you] have to hold a meeting tomorrow, along with the foreign secretary [Sohail Mahmood]. [In the meeting], we will ask him to just sit quietly and write the minutes of the meeting as is. Azam [Khan] is saying to write the minutes […] and we will keep the photostat.

Khan: This cypher came on the 7th, 8th or 9th [March]?

Another person [present in the meeting]: It came on the 8th.

Khan: But the meeting took place on the 7th. We do not have to name Americans under any circumstances. So on this issue, please, nobody should name the country. This is very important for all of you. From which country did the letter come? I don’t want to hear it from anyone.

Umar: Are you intentionally calling it a letter? Because this isn’t a letter, it is a transcript of the meeting.

Khan: It is the same thing, whether it’s the meeting transcript or a letter. People won’t understand what a transcript is. You have to say this in your rallies.