Imran Khan’s Lawyer Challenges Verdict in Cipher Case

In a court session on Thursday, the lawyer representing former Prime Minister Imran Khan argued that Imran and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had been sentenced in the diplomatic cipher case to appease a foreign power, highlighting loopholes in the trial court’s verdict.

A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), consisting of Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, heard the appeals of the PTI leaders against their conviction under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, for misusing a diplomatic cipher to the detriment of national interests.

Imran had previously presented what he claimed was a copy of a diplomatic cipher at a public rally in Islamabad, alleging it as proof of a conspiracy against his government by a foreign power, just two weeks before the PTI government was ousted through a vote of no-confidence.

During the proceedings, Salman Safdar, the lawyer representing Imran and Qureshi, asserted that it was the responsibility of the prosecution—the FIA—to establish the contents of the document Imran had waved during the rally.

Safdar further pointed out that Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed, had dispatched the cipher after a meeting with US diplomat Donald Lu, but did not disclose what prompted him to send it. Safdar also noted that Majeed had recommended issuing a strong demarche on Lu’s statement in a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting.

The court noted the absence of certain key witnesses and adjourned the session until Tuesday for further proceedings.

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