IHC Overturns Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Sentences In Cipher Case

On Monday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) annulled the convictions of PTI founder Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case. The ruling was delivered by a two-member bench consisting of IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, who reviewed the appeals filed by Khan and Qureshi against their earlier convictions.

The verdict was reserved earlier in the day after concluding arguments from both sides. The bench accepted their appeals and declared the sentences null and void.

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Previously, Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi were sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty by a special court of leaking state secrets in January. Judge Abu Alhasnaat Zulqurnain announced the verdict at Adiala Jail, implicating Khan and Qureshi for retaining and communicating a classified diplomatic cable sent by Pakistan’s ambassador to the US.

In August 2023, an FIR was lodged against Khan by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), invoking Section 5 of the Official Secrets Act 1923, based on a complaint by the Home Secretary. This case, registered by the anti-terrorism wing of the FIA, stemmed from an incident on March 27, 2022, when Khan waved a letter at a public gathering in Islamabad, alleging it was evidence of an “international conspiracy” by the United States to oust his government.

Following these claims, the FIA launched an investigation against Khan, who faced over 150 civil and criminal cases, for allegedly publicizing a confidential diplomatic cable and keeping it in his possession.

It later surfaced that Khan had lost the copy of the cipher written by Pakistan’s ambassador to the US. Azam Khan, a close aide of the PTI chairman, testified against him, accusing Khan of fabricating a narrative about the US regime’s involvement in the cipher controversy. Investigators suggested Khan used the cipher to manipulate public perception regarding foreign involvement in the opposition’s no-confidence motion.