ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court issued notices to the federation and the interior ministry regarding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s bail plea in the cipher case. The three-member bench, including Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, Justice Yahya Afridi, and Justice Ayesha Malik, heard the petition.
Barrister Salman Safdar, representing Imran Khan, briefed the court on the inquiry report and accusations against the former prime minister. He mentioned that Azam Khan, Imran Khan’s then-principal secretary, accused the PTI chief of misusing the cipher. Safdar highlighted that Asad Umar had been released, while Azam Khan transitioned from being an accused to a witness.
Justice Afridi inquired about the determination of the co-accused’s role in the case during the investigation. Safdar mentioned the lack of a clear stance from the investigation officer and explained that Azam Khan’s statement was recorded under Section 164 after being “kidnapped.”
Imran Khan’s counsel argued that his client was facing political victimization. Justice Malik asked about the central ground of the case, to which Safdar responded that the case was not maintainable, emphasizing that the sections in the FIR related to espionage offenses.
Justice Masood noted the government’s contention that Imran Khan compromised the cipher’s code. The issue of the cable’s secrecy and whether Imran Khan showed it to anyone was raised by Justice Afridi. Safdar clarified that the cipher was not shown to anyone during that time.
The court discussed the potential impact of the Islamabad High Court’s decision to nullify the trial, with Justice Masood stating that it could benefit the prosecution as the government could rectify its mistakes and proceed with a trial. The hearing was adjourned for an indefinite period.
Earlier, the same bench heard Imran Khan’s petition challenging his indictment in the case, and that hearing was also adjourned indefinitely. This adjournment came after Khan’s lawyer, Hamid Khan, requested time to review the Islamabad High Court’s decision on the jail trial.
The Islamabad High Court nullified the notification for conducting Imran Khan’s jail trial on charges of leaking state secrets. The PTI chairman is currently in Adiala jail after being indicted on the charges in October.
The cipher case, known as “ciphergate,” originated in March 2022 when Imran Khan claimed a conspiracy against his government based on a foreign nation’s cipher. The controversy involved accusations of a threat from the United States and led to the PTI leader and his deputy Shah Mahmood Qureshi being booked under the Official Secrets Act.
