Imran Khan Wins High-Stakes Cipher Case: Islamabad High Court Acquits Him & Shah Mehmood Qureshi 

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Islamabad High Court Dismissed Cipher Case | Acquits Imran Khan And Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Imran Khan & Shah Mehmood Qureshi acquitted in Cipher Case
Big relief for PTI as IHC acquits Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi in cipher case
IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb announce the verdict
IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb announce the verdict
By
Awais Yousafzai
June 03, 2024
Big relief for PTI as IHC acquits Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi in cipher case
Former prime minister Imran Khan (right) poses for a picture with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi. - X@PTIofficial/File
In a major relief to the embattled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday annulled jailed founder Imran Khan and party’s Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s conviction in the infamous cipher case containing charges of misusing and misplacing the classified diplomatic document.
IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb announced the short verdict on the pleas challenging the conviction in the cipher case after reserving it earlier today.
The case pertains to allegations that the former prime minister had made public contents of a secret cable sent by the country's ambassador in Washington to the government in Islamabad.
In another major relief, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday acquitted PTI founder Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb announced the short verdict after accepting the appeals of the former premier and diplomat against their convictions in the case.
The court order, copies of which are available with Dawn.com, said they “shall be released forthwith, if not incarcerated in any other case”.
The duo are not expected to be released from prison due to Imran’s sentence in the Iddat case while Qureshi was arrested in recent May 9 cases. The Iddat case was transferred to another judge today while Qureshi is on physical remand till June 5 (Wednesday).
The latest relief for the PTI founder came days after IHC approved his bail petition in the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) settlement reference on May 15.
A two-member bench, comprising the IHC chief justice, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, had approved the PTI's founder bail plea in the reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Khan, the deposed premier who ousted from power via opposition's no-confidence motion in April 2022, has been facing slew of charges ranging from corruption to terrorism since his removal as the premier.
He has been behind bars since August last year after he was sentenced in Toshakhana case and subsequently convicted in other cases as well including cipher and illegal marriage cases.
Due to his conviction his other cases, the former premier remains behind bars despite him securing relief in several cases.
A special court, established under the Official Secrets Act, had handed both Imran and Qureshi 10-year jail sentences each in the case in January after Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain appo­inted a state counsel for them.
It was Imran’s second conviction as he was also convicted in the Toshakhana case on August 5, and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment. The IHC had suspended his sentence. However, a division bench later rejected Imran’s petition seeking the suspension of the conviction.
Imran was later convicted in a separate Toshakhana case in January but the 14-year sentence was suspended by the IHC in April. He was convicted in the Iddat case and sentenced to seven years in jail in February.
The cipher case pertains to a diplomatic document that the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) charge sheet alleges was never returned by then-PM Imran, who long held that the document contained a threat from the US to topple his government.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub hailed the verdict and called for their immediate release.
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