The United States has responded to the acquittal of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in the cipher case.
During a press briefing, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller commented on the situation, stating, “The allegations against Imran Khan will be decided by the courts of Pakistan under their own laws.”
Miller’s remarks followed the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) recent decision to acquit Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a case that has drawn considerable international attention.
The IHC’s acquittal of Khan and Qureshi represents a significant legal victory for PTI. The court, led by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, accepted the appeals against their convictions in the cipher case, overturning the ten-year prison sentences issued by a special court under the Official Secrets Act in January.
The cipher case involved a diplomatic document that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) claimed Khan failed to return while serving as Prime Minister. Khan has consistently maintained that the document contained a threat from the United States to destabilize his government. Despite the acquittal, both Khan and Qureshi remain in custody due to other pending legal issues.
In the same briefing, Miller also addressed various issues, including the ongoing situation in Gaza. He noted that the cease-fire offer came from the Israeli government and highlighted internal disagreements within Israel regarding the offer.
“Even within Israel, there are differences over this offer,” Miller said. He also mentioned that Hamas’s influence has waned since the events of October 7, and stressed that the Gaza issue cannot be resolved solely through military operations.
