Left: Former PM of Pakistan (Imran Khan), Right: Shah Mehmood Qureshi
In a major relief for Imran Khan, a top Pakistani court on June 3, acquitted the beleaguered former Prime Minister as well as his foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the cipher case. Khan, the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-I Insaaf (PTI) party was sentenced to ten years imprisonment along with his foreign minister in the cipher case in January by Islamabad Special Court set up under the Official Secrets Act.
The cipher case pertains to the incident in which the former premier showed a piece of paper allegedly a copy of the diplomatic communication at a public rally in Islamabad claiming it to be a proof of conspiracy against his government by a foreign power referring to the American diplomat Donald Lu, who has been at the centre of the cipher controversy.
Imran Khan had brandished the cipher paper just two weeks before the ouster of the PTI government in April 2022 through a vote of no confidence in Parliament. Both Khan and Qureshi challenged the verdict in the Islamabad High Court. Following the hearing of their pleas on June 3, 2024, Islamabad High Court suspended their sentences and ordered that they be released if not wanted in any other case.
Chief Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb announced the verdict. The cipher case filed on August 15, 2023 by the Federal Investigation Agency, which accused Khan and Qureshi of violating the secret laws while handling a cable sent by the Pakistan Embassy in Washington in March 2022.
The two were first indicted in October 2023 and but the process was reversed by the Islamabad High Court while ruling against in camera proceedings. They were indicted again in December. A total of 25 witnesses appeared before the court including former Principal Secretary to PM Azam Khan, former foreign secretary Sohail Mahmood and ex-ambassador Asad Majeed Khan.
A Pakistan court on June 4 acquitted jailed former PM Imran Khan and other top leaders of his party in two cases related to vandalism during an anti-government process march in 2022. The 71-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf party founder has been in jail since August last year after being convicted in some of the nearly 200 cases slapped on him since his ouster in April 2022.
The district and sessions of the Islamabad High Court acquitted Imran Khan, former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, excommunicated minister Murad Saeed and other leaders in two cases of vandalism during the Haqeeqi Azaadi march, a Pakistan newspaper reported.
In May 2022, the former cricketer turned politician launched a march towards Islamabad to Lahore to topple the coalition of Shahbaz Sharif that assumed power after he was ousted as the premier following a vote of no confidence. The rally was part of the PTI struggle to achieve real freedom and deliver the nation from the slavery of the US backed coalition government. Khan had accused the coalition government of coming to power through a US Backed conspiracy.
The Islamabad police at that time filed separate cases against filed against the PTI leadership booked on charges of vandalism and violation of Section 144. PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan and Asad Umar had filed acquittal pleas.
Golra Police Station had booked leaders of the former ruling party over violation of Section 144 imposed during PTI’s Azad March. Earlier, this month a judicial magistrate of Islamabad also acquitted Imran Khan in two cases of vandalism during his party’s two long marches in 2022. Judicial magistrate Shaista Kundi heard the pleas filed by the former PM for his acquittal in the cases registered at Islamabad’s Lohi Blair and Sahela police stations and one related to his production in the court.
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