In the seemingly never-ending saga of audio leaks linked to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), another recording, purportedly of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, surfaced on Thursday in which a voice believed to be of the premier was heard discussing the appointment of his special assistants.

Since last month, several purportedly leaked audio recordings of PM Shehbaz, his immediate predecessor Imran, bigwigs from the PML-N and PTI and other officials have emerged, raising questions on national security.

In the latest recording, an unidentified person is heard telling the prime minister that PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq said that the PPP — which is part of the ruling coalition led by PM Shehbaz — was also “asking for a share among SAPMs”.

In reply, the person believed to be Shehbaz replies, “Yes, Bilawal spoke to me about it.”

The other person responds by saying that “see, we have to appoint Zafar Mahmood and Jahanzaib sahib.

“I will tell you the final number today, sir.”

In turn, the person on the other end, supposedly Shehbaz, asks him to share the document.

“It’s not just the Peoples Party. There are others.”

The unidentified man replies that the “JUI and MQM will ask for it too”.

He adds: “In the MQM there is a man named Malik Ahmed Ali. They are saying he had a critical role in reaching a deal with them [unintelligible].

When the man believed to be PM Shehbaz asks him who was he talking about, he replies that “Ali” was from Karachi.

Leaks reveal massive breach in security at PM Office

What began as an alleged and potentially embarrassing audio leak seems to have turned into an all-out national security incident as a slew of audio recordings of conversations between key government figures — including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz and some members of the federal cabinet — were released last month.

The content of the recordings appear to be informal conversations in the PM Office — as opposed to recorded phone conversations.

First, a recording of PM Shehbaz surfaced where he was discussing with an unidentified official the possibility of facilitating the import of Indian machinery for a power project that was a concern of Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law, Raheel.

Further recordings surfaced a day later, which were shared on social media by several PTI leaders, concerning former finance minister Miftah Ismail and the resignations of PTI lawmakers from the National Assembly.

One clip purportedly features a conversation between PML-N Vice President Maryam and the premier about Miftah, wherein a voice thought to belong to the former says he “doesn’t know what he is doing” and wishes for the return of PML-N stalwart Ishaq Dar.

A second clip allegedly concerns a conversation between the prime minister, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Ayaz Sadiq about the resignations of PTI lawmakers from the National Assembly.

A third clip purportedly features a conversation between Maryam Nawaz and PM Shehbaz regarding the return of former army chief retired Gen Pervez Musharraf.

It followed an audio clip purportedly revealing a conversation between former PM Imran and then-principal secretary Azam Khan about the cipher — shared by Asad Majeed, the then envoy to the US — which Imran has used to peddle his foreign conspiracy narrative.

In the clip, the former prime minister allegedly tells Azam to “play up” the cipher and turn it into a foreign plot to oust his government but adds that there is no need to name any country.

Later, another clip surfaced — supposedly a continuation of the conversation in the previous recording — purportedly featuring PTI leaders Asad Umar and Shah Mahmood Qureshi discussing the “foreign conspiracy” cipher with the former premier and ex-principal secretary.

Then, yet another audio clip surfaced, purportedly of Imran, discussing “buying votes”, following by another recording purportedly featuring the PTI chief talking about the cipher with PTI leaders Shireen Mazari and Asad Umar.

PM Shehbaz has termed the surfacing of audio leaks a “very serious lapse” and announced that a high-level committee would be constituted to probe the matter.