Supreme Court Grants Bail to Imran Khan in Cipher Case

On Friday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan granted bail to former Prime Minister Imran Khan and one of his senior aides in the cipher case, where he is accused of leaking state secrets, as confirmed by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

Currently serving a three-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in a separate ‘Toshakhana’ case, Khan had been convicted in August for not declaring assets earned from the sale of state gifts during his 2018-22 tenure as prime minister.

He asserts his innocence, attributing the charges, including those in the cipher case, to political motives aimed at sidelining him and his PTI party from the upcoming general elections in February.

Also Read: Imran Khan, as per PTI lawyers, intends to participate in elections from three different constituencies.

The PTI conveyed the court’s decision regarding bail to reporters, stating that Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Khan’s foreign minister during his tenure as PM, had both been granted bail by the Supreme Court.

However, it’s important to note that Khan’s bail in the cipher case does not guarantee his release, as he remains convicted in the Toshakhana case and is in police custody regarding a £190 million settlement with a property tycoon. Additionally, he faces numerous other charges, ranging from terrorism to attempted murder.

The cipher case revolves around alleged diplomatic correspondence between Washington and Islamabad, which Khan contends was evidence of a US conspiracy to oust him from the prime ministership. Despite Khan waving a letter during a public rally, claiming it was a cipher from a foreign nation urging the end of his government, Washington has consistently denied his allegations.

Established under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, a special court has been overseeing the proceedings related to the cipher case in Adiala jail, often without media and family members granted access to most hearings.