In the issue of the missing cypher, the former prime minister and PTI chairman has applied for bail in Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Imran Khan files bail application in IHC: Through his attorney Salman Safdar, the PTI chairman submitted a bail petition. A special court constituted under the Official Secrets Act rejected Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) bail requests on Thursday in the cypher case.
After hearing the arguments from PTI’s attorneys, Special Court Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain pronounced the verdict and heard the bail requests.
The same court confirmed the pre-arrest bail granted to former federal minister and PTI leader Asad Umar in the same case earlier in the day.
Umar received pre-arrest bail on August 22 from the same court presided over by Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain in exchange for a Rs 100,000 surety bond.
“The Toshakhana case resulted in the conviction and imprisonment of Imran Khan, the chairman of the PTI, on August 5.” The IHC had postponed his punishment as of August 29.
“A special court had ordered the Attock jail staff to keep him in ‘judicial lockup’ in connection with the cypher case.”
Case cypher
“On August 15, they recorded the first information report (FIR) of the Official Secrets Act in response to the complaint made by the Home Secretary.”
Azam Khan, the former principal secretary, and Asad Umar, the former planning minister, were also among those listed in the report, alongside former prime minister Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Additionally, “The authorities reportedly considered taking action against Azam Khan and Asad Umar after determining their involvement in the improper use of secret documents.”
According to the FIR, the former foreign minister and prime minister fabricated information on the diplomatic cypher. It continued, “They initiated a conspiracy to misuse the information from the cipher for nefarious purposes. Furthermore, It went on to state that the former premier and senior diplomat harmed the state’s interests.”
However, The former prime minister directed Azam Khan, the previous prime minister’s principal secretary, to “manipulate the contents of the cipher,” according to the report. Further, “The statement added that the former premier intentionally retained a copy of the diplomatic cipher that had been sent to the PM office.”