Imran Khan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi cleared of charges in cipher case
In Islamabad, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) decided on Monday that former Prime Minister Imran Khan and PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi are not guilty in a case involving secret codes. The judges, Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, made this decision after reviewing the pleas that questioned the previous ruling about the cipher case.
This means that the court has declared Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi innocent of the charges related to the use of secret codes. They were accused of some wrongdoing regarding these codes, but the court has now found them not guilty.
This decision by the court closes the case against them in this matter. It’s an important legal outcome, as it determines their innocence in this particular case and clears their names from any accusations related to secret codes.
In January of this year, the founder of PTI and the party’s vice-chairman were sentenced to 10 years in prison each in a case involving secret codes.
However, they are not expected to be released from prison because Imran Khan is also serving sentences in the Toshakhana and Iddat cases, while Shah Mehmood Qureshi has been arrested in cases from May 9.
The cipher case involved accusations that both PTI leaders conspired to misuse secret information for wrongful purposes.
On January 30, a special court handling the cipher case sentenced both the former prime minister and the former foreign minister to 10 years in prison each. The court stated that there was enough evidence presented by the prosecution to prove the charges against them.
The case started with a complaint filed by the Home Secretary on August 15, and it was registered under the Official Secrets Act. This act deals with the protection of confidential information related to the government.
The report nominated former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, along with former Principal Secretary Azam Khan and former Planning Minister Asad Umar.
According to the FIR (First Information Report), it was alleged that Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi distorted the information in a diplomatic cipher. The report claimed that there was a conspiracy to misuse the contents of the cipher for wrongful purposes, putting the interests of the state at risk.
It was reported that Imran Khan instructed Azam Khan, who was the principal secretary at the time, to manipulate the contents of the cipher. Additionally, the former prime minister allegedly retained a copy of the diplomatic cipher that was supposed to be sent to the Prime Minister’s office.
This FIR was filed based on these allegations, which suggest that there was an attempt to misuse confidential information for purposes that could harm the state’s interests. It implicates high-ranking officials in what is considered a serious breach of security and trust.
