In a significant turn of events, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has acquitted former Prime Minister and PTI founder Imran Khan along with former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case, as reported by Dawn. The verdict, announced by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, follows the acceptance of appeals by both leaders against their convictions.
نا کردہ گناہوں کی سزا پا رہے ہیں، پھر بھی مسکرا رہے ہیں!!#عوامی_لیڈر_کو_رہا_کرو pic.twitter.com/hEZs7x49GZ
— PTI (@PTIofficial) June 3, 2024
Imran Khan, aged 71, had been sentenced to 10 years in prison by a lower court on charges related to the disclosure of a classified cable from Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington in 2022. Similarly, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who served as Khan’s foreign minister during his tenure from 2018 to 2022, has been cleared of the accusations.
Despite the acquittal, it’s noted that both leaders are not expected to be released from detention. Imran Khan faces a sentence in the Iddat case, while Qureshi was arrested in connection with recent May 9 cases.
The cipher case stems from an incident wherein the former prime minister displayed a piece of paper, allegedly a copy of a diplomatic communication, at a public rally in Islamabad. He claimed it as evidence of a foreign conspiracy against his government, specifically referring to US diplomat Donald Lu, who was central to the cipher controversy. This incident occurred just two weeks before the PTI government was ousted in April 2022 through a vote of no-confidence in Parliament.
The case, filed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on August 15 last year, accused Khan and Qureshi of violating secrecy laws while handling a cable from the Pakistan embassy in Washington in March 2022. Essentially, it revolves around a diplomatic document that Khan purportedly failed to return. He asserted that the document contained a threat from the US aimed at destabilizing his government.
After being indicted initially in October and then again in December, a total of 25 witnesses, including former principal secretary to the PM Azam Khan, former foreign secretary Sohail Mahmood, and ex-ambassador Asad Majeed Khan, appeared before the court during the proceedings.
