Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan, aide Shah Mahmood Qureshi get bail in cipher case

Pakistan’s Supreme Court Friday gave a slight relief to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan by approving him and his close aide Shah Mahmood Qureshi bail in the cipher case related to the alleged leakage of state secrets. Both the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders have been also asked by the country’s apex court to submit surety bonds worth Rs 1 million each. The order was issued by a three-member bench headed by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and comprising Justices Athar Minallah and Syed Mansoor Ali Shah on a set of PTI petitions. However, Imran Khan will remain in jail as he is convicted in the Toshakhana corruption case. The cipher case is based on the allegation that a diplomatic document sent by the Pakistan embassy in March 2022 was mishandled by Imran Khan (71) and Qureshi (67), and they violated the secret laws of the country. The Federal Investigation Agency’s charge sheet alleges the document was never returned by Imran Khan. The PTI has long held that the document contained a threat from the United States to oust Imran Khan as prime minister. The Special Court (Official Secrets Act) had begun the cipher trial afresh last week at the Adiala district jail after Imran Khan and Qureshi were indicted for a second time in the case on December 13. Both the PTI leaders were first indicted in the case on 23 October. Both had pleaded not guilty. The trial was being held at the Adiala Jail and four witnesses had alre­a­dy recorded their statements when the Islamabad High Court termed the government’s notification for a jail trial “erroneous” and scrap­ped the entire proceedings. The IHC had endorsed Khan’s indictment, disposing of his plea against the same, but had also instructed the special court judge to ensure a “fair trial”. Khan was ousted through a vote of no-confidence in April 2022. More than 150 cases have been registered against him since his ouster from power. With inputs from PTI