Omar Ayub Khan, Secretary General of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has called for the trial of Imran Khan’s former military secretary in the diplomatic cable case. Speaking outside the Parliament House alongside PTI’s newly elected chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Ayub emphasized that the responsibility for keeping the cipher documents safe lay with the then-prime minister’s military secretary. He stated that if the case were to proceed, it should be against the military secretary and other involved individuals.
In January 2024, Imran Khan, the founder of PTI, and the party’s senior leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi were sentenced to 10 years each in the cipher case. Ayub also demanded a judicial inquiry into the “ciphergate” case.
Meanwhile, Barrister Gohar emphasized the party’s determination to move forward despite challenges. He criticized the ruling alliance, labeling them as “crises” incapable of resolving the country’s issues.
Earlier, Asad Qaiser responded to remarks made by the PPP chairman regarding the cipher case and called for the constitution of a judicial commission to investigate the controversy. Qaiser criticized the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for terming the cases against Imran Khan as “lies.”
Qaiser lamented the alleged crackdown on PTI leadership and workers and affirmed that Imran Khan had not fled and would not compromise on principles. He called for the release of party leadership and withdrawal of cases against them.
Regarding Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s call for stakeholders to sit together, Qaiser questioned whether Bilawal was unaware of alleged election rigging in the February 8 polls.
The “ciphergate” controversy originated on March 27, 2022, when Imran Khan claimed during a public rally that a foreign nation conspired with his political rivals to overthrow the PTI government using a cipher letter. He accused the United States, specifically Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu, of seeking his removal. Subsequently, the National Security Committee (NSC) issued a demarche to the US.
Audio leaks later emerged, allegedly featuring Imran Khan, Asad Umar, and Azam discussing the US cipher. In August 2023, a foreign news outlet published the text of the diplomatic cipher, supporting Khan’s claims. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) filed an FIR against Imran and Qureshi under the Official Secrets Act, leading to their indictment in October 2023.
In January 2024, the special court sentenced Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi to 10 years in jail for the cipher case.
