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Former prime minister Imran Khan's then-principal secretary Azam Khan has "recorded" a statement, terming the US cypher a "conspiracy" used by the ex-PM to "manipulate for creating a narrative against establishment and opposition," Geo News reported Wednesday.

In response to the development, Imran termed Azam an "honest man" and said he would not accept the statement until he heard the bureaucrat say it himself.

Azam, who has been "missing" since last month, has recorded his statement under CrPC 164 before a magistrate, the sources added, with no information on his whereabouts.

Khan, ousted via a parliamentary vote in April last year, had alleged on March 27, 2022, that Washington orchestrated a plan to remove him from office — and brandished the cypher at a public rally to back his claims. The US has time and again denied such allegations, terming them "categorically false".

In his confession, Azam claimed that when he shared the cypher with Imran, the former premier was "euphoric" and termed the language as a "US blunder".

The ex-prime minister then said, according to Azam, that the cable could be used for "creating a narrative against establishment and opposition".

The confession mentions that Khan also told Azam that the cypher could be used to divert the public's attention towards "foreign involvement" in the opposition's no-confidence motion.

Azam's confession mentions that Imran told him he would display the cypher in front of the public and "twist the narrative that a foreign conspiracy is being hatched in collusion with local partners and play [the] victim card".