On Monday, President Arif Alvi was a guest on Aaj TV’s prime time show Faisla Aap Ka, in which he told host Asma Shirazi that he was “not convinced about the fact that a conspiracy was hatched” for Imran’s ouster.

He did say that he had doubts while calling for a probe before adding that he had already cautioned [relevant quarters] that the investigation into the cipher was unlikely to unearth any “smoking gun”.

Read more: President Alvi says ‘not convinced’ about foreign conspiracy but probe a must

The statements were widely reported and has resulted in a rebuttal, with the media office of the presidency asserting that the statement was taken out of context.

“The final decision regarding the cipher can be made only after the investigation,” it quoted the president as saying.

“From writing a letter to the Chief Justice, there is no change in the position. In the letter, the Supreme Court was requested to inquire into the matter.”

The president emphasized the need to investigate the matter. “An impartial investigation of the entire matter is necessary.”